


Asura • 阿修羅

by Legit_kpop_trash



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety, Bullying, Crimes & Criminals, Deaf Character, Drugs, Friendship, Hypnotism, Illegal Activities, Murder, Murder Mystery, Obsessive Behavior, Other, Profanity, Psychological Drama, Psychological Torture, Serial Killers, Sexual Content, Stalking, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 07:09:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 75,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29871036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legit_kpop_trash/pseuds/Legit_kpop_trash
Summary: Ever heard of Susin High?No? Well let me give you a quick briefing then. Susin High is an elite boarding school attended by the top 1% of students in South Korea, located in an isolated area in the mountains. Their impressive performance are the result of constant pressure and strict punishment from the teachers. The students may not leave the school, and if they do so they will be expelled. They are expected to study at all times, including weekends. Furthermore their only vacation is the 8 days from Christmas Eve to the 1st day of the new year. During this period the students are free to leave the school and do as they wish.However, this year 8 very different students decided to stay back on the school all for the same reason. Why didn’t they leave when they finally have a chance to enjoy their youth and spend time with their families?
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Choi San/Jeong Yunho/Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang/Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa/Song Mingi
Kudos: 13





	1. How did it start?

**Author's Note:**

> Basically an Ateez version of the K-drama; 화이트 크리스마스.  
> I apologise in advance for any gramatical errors as English isn't my first language.

**2017, December 24th, 9:00 AM**

_“This is the principal speaking. Today as the 24th of December, I declare the official Christmas holiday has begun. Enjoy your 8 days holiday, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing you all again in the new year for even better results than the last.”_

Cheers were heard throughout the school, students buzzing with excitement with the thought of finally leaving the school for their long awaited break. All the students had gathered in front of the school, ready to go onto their assigned busses which would be taking them back home to their families. The last bus took off and left at the entrance stood 7 students and their teacher Mr. Park. He had offered to stay back at the school with the students as he didn’t have any family to celebrate Christmas with.

Hongjoong as one of the students who chose to stay behind, was casually strolling around the hallways after all the other students had left, looking at the various awards that were hung up on the walls, along with pictures of the honour students who had received said awards. After satisfying his boredom with looking around, Hongjoong made his way back to his room- all students who attended the school had been given their own single room, much to everyone’s joy.

He sat down on his black swivel chair, opening the top drawer of his desk. He pulled out a black envelope which had been placed in the bottom of it, for no one to find it.

 _“When did it all begin?”_ Hongjoong thought to himself, still looking at the black envelope in his hands. He carefully opened the envelope pulling out a small piece of paper.

_“You tainted me, you made me pitiful. You made me a monster in the corner. You silenced me. You ridiculed my false hopes. You took the only thing I had and put it around your neck.I held out my hand and you let go. You deleted me from your eyes. Finally you overtook me. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. After 8 days, walk up the path by the zelkova tree, under the clock tower you will see someone dead.”_

Hongjoong read the words over and over again in his head, by now, he had probably already read it more than a 100 times, but the cryptic letter still made no sense to him. Why he had received such a note was beyond him. He sighed heavily and leaned his head back against the chair, closing his eyes for a moment and letting the drowsiness take over him.

**2017, December 24th, 5:43 PM**

The snow was falling slowly outside, and all the students who stayed back had slowly started gathering in the school’s cafeteria, due to Mr. Park’s order. Jongho was already helping set up the table when Yunho entered the cafeteria. Only a couple of lights were turned on around the area of the set up table, everything else was fading into blurred black shapes. Just as Jongho was about to greet Yunho, footsteps could be heard from the stairway leading down to the kitchen, making the two turn their heads to see who had joined them. Hongjoong slowly made his way over to the two guys, but passed them without saying anything. He seated himself at the end of the table, gesturing for Yunho to sit beside him, which the younger did. Slowly everyone made an appearance one by one, sitting down at the table. Jongho has pulled out his camera like the film obsessed student he was, after he had set up the table, and was currently filming everyone while introducing them- like it was some kind of tv-program.

“Second year, class 1, Choi San. Wow, isn’t he really something?” Jongho asked the camera sarcastically, earning a cold glare from San who had now entered the cafeteria as well. San turned his attention to Hongjoong after giving the younger a glare. “Where’s the teacher?” He asked in a cold voice that gave away that he didn’t really care but just wanted to change the topic. “He went to get something,” Hongjoong mumbled in response, answering the black and white haired male, earning a slow nod from the later.

Jongho kept introducing the students until he was only missing one, which hadn’t made an appearance in the cafeteria yet. When he once again heard footsteps from the staircase, he panned to camera in the direction of it to get a shot of the final student joining their little informal christmas dinner.

“Who’s it gonna be? The seventh and final member of christmas dinner~” Jongho questioned in an excited voice. As the guy everyone was waiting for made an appearance on the stairs, Jongho lowered his camera with an annoyed expression evident on his face. Park Seonghwa, he was the last student who had decided to stay back. The oldest averted his eyes and smirked at Jongho, making the younger roll his eyes before muttering incoherent swear words under his breath.

Jongho turned off his camera then went to sit at the table, while Seonghwa leisurely made his way over to said table as well. No one was paying attention to the person sitting beside them- except Jongho who whispered quietly to Yunho, which was seated on his left.

“If I had known _he_ was here, I would’ve gone home-“ before Jongho could finish talking, Seonghwa had walked up to the table and cut him off. “Hello _dear friends!_ Were you waiting for me? How kind of you all.” He had a smirk plastered on his face as he spoke, like usual, being the cocky and sly guy he was known for. This earned him a couple of glares from the others around the table, but Seonghwa ignored it and picked up a grape from a silver bowl on the table, putting it in his mouth. Before Seonghwa could continue speaking after having swallowed the fruit, the teacher appeared next to him, pushing him away from the end of the table where he stood.

“Are you all here?” Mr. Park- the teacher who had chosen to stay behind with them, asked bored, not bothered one bit by Seonghwa who stumbled to the side and nearly fell on his ass. Mr. Park made a quick headcount, making sure all seven students were there before sitting down at the very end of the table.

“Are you the teacher staying with us? I thought it was our English teacher Mrs. Yoo?” Jongho asked with confusion evident in his voice. Mr. Park gave him a small smile before answering “I don’t have a girlfriend or family, so I was asked to change with her.” Jongho nodded understandingly, then silence fell over the table as everyone slowly started having their dinner.

The radio was what broke the silence as everyone was eating, no one truly paying attention to what it said. “ _-six cars crashed on the Yeonjong highway._ ” 

The teacher had brought a bottle of red wine to share with the students since it was Christmas Eve after all. As he was pouring the students a glass each, he kept mumbling about how he never thought he’d be pouring such a fine wine for those guys out of everyone. Hongjoong wasn’t paying attention to any of what was going on, not the teacher, not the other students who were so familiar yet were like strangers to him, nor the radio. But eventually the poor signal to the radio, making it give off flickering sounds, made him stand up to turn it off before sitting back down again.

“You better not tell anyone I served you alcohol.” Mr. Park said in a partly joking manner, but everyone understood the undertone of his voice, he was serious.

“I can keep a secret, but I don’t know about the teacher’s pet over there,” Seonghwa said in an amused voice, turning his gaze to Hongjoong. The younger simply ignored Seonghwa, not caring to come with a smart remark back, instead he just thanked Mr. Park after he had poured him a glass of wine.

“I must have done something terrible in my past life.. That’s why I’m spending the last Christmas of my 20’s with you guys..” Mr. Park said in a defeated voice as he sat back down in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh leaving his lips.

“Oh, are you only twenty-nine?” Yeosang said in a bored voice, not really meaning it as a question.He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, pretending to think before looking back at his teacher. “You look way over thirty-five..” This earned a few chuckles from around the table.

“Shut it, kid. Anyways, you’re stuck with me so let’s enjoy ourselves for the next 8 days. Cheers.” Mr. Park lifted his glass, waiting for the students to do the same. After cheering everyone started eating in silence again, the only sound filling the room was the scraping of the forks and knives on the dinner plates. 

Mr. Park was the first to break the silence, asking the most relevant question at the time. “So why didn’t you kids go home?”

Everyone was surprised for a moment, not expecting the teacher to be so blunt all of a sudden, but Mr. Park didn’t miss the worried look that flashed across Hongjoong’s face. Seonghwa ended up being the one who broke the awkward silence first.

“If I go home my step dad will keep looking at my ass and walk in while I’m in the shower.” He said, with a hint of amusement in his voice to make it sound like a joke. Everyone was silent for a moment, before Seonghwa had a big grin on his face while laughing slightly. “I was just joking, calm down. Geez, you’re all so uptight.”

“Shouldn’t the audience be entertained rather than the comedian?” Mingi asked in an annoyed voice, clearly not in the mood for Seonghwa’s terrible sense of humour. Once again silence took over the table and for the first time tonight, Seonghwa didn’t return with a snarky comment. Mr. Park casually talked once in a while to make sure the silence wouldn’t swallow them whole, but none of the students initiated conversations between them.

Suddenly an alarm went off inside the building and Seonghwa was the first to push his chair back and stand straight up, startled by the sudden sound he let out quick short breaths, earning a curious look from Hongjoong.

The alarm that had gone off was a warning telling them that someone was at the front gates of the school. Hongjoong, Yunho, Mingi, Jongho and Mr. Park quickly put on their coats and grabbed flashlights by the front entrance before heading outside in the cold snow, leaving behind Seonghwa, San and Yeosang confused in the cafeteria. They made their way to the front gates which were approximately one kilometre away from the school building’s entrance. When they arrived at the gate they saw a man sitting on the other side in the cold snow, panting heavily with blood running down his forehead.

**2017, December 24th, 8:07 PM**

The stranger was sitting on a bed in the nursing room. Hongjoong was helping him wipe the blood from his forehead, while Mr. Park was trying to call the police, but without luck since the snow storm had worsened over the last hours, and all roads except the main ones were now closed off. 

Seonghwa, San and Yeosang were sitting in the cafeteria when Mingi returned. San turned to look at him, asking what was going on as he had chosen to stay behind, while the others went outside to see what happened. Mingi proceeded to tell San there had been a car accident and a wounded guy had come across their school when trying to find shelter. This made San stand up to leave, not telling anyone whether he was going to see the new stranger at their school or some elsewhere.

Outside Jongho was on his way back inside the building, he had stayed out a little longer to take a couple of videos outside of the snow falling. When he was about to turn around and head back, he felt something cold hit the back of his head. He turned around to see Seonghwa standing there looking proud as always with that characteristic smirk of his. Jongho told him to leave him alone, but Seonghwa kept apologising in a not so sorry voice. Jongho walked further away from the older, not wanting to be near the guy who had made his life a living hell ever since he first stepped into the school's ground. Seonghwa however kept taking a step closer, as Jongho took one away.

"As you live life, some things displease you from time to time. I may just be joking, but you may get hurt. Then all we have to do is say sorry and forgive each other. We can use words, so how dare you send this!" Seonghwa said, each word slowly getting louder and more filled with anger until he yelled the last sentence. He took a black envelope from his coat pocket and threw it at Jongho, watching as it landed on the snow covered ground.

Jongho kneeled down to pick up the envelope, but before he could pick up the paper material, Seonghwa kicked him in the side making him fall to the ground with a groan. Seonghwa grabbed his collar, picking him back up to stand on his feet, keeping a tight hold on the younger’s coat.

"Listen to me, it wasn't me, you jerk. You always put the blame on others when something doesn’t go your way. Fuck you Park Seonghwa." Jongho said sternly, jaw tensing from anger.

"Fuck me? Watch your mouth or I'll end you. I already have so many penalties I could get suspended for, why not add another one?” Seonghwa said in a spiteful voice, still holding tightly onto Jongho's collar.

"I already told you I didn't send that damn letter." Jongho tried to keep his voice calm as he finally escaped from Seonghwa grip after fighting against it for a bit, making distance between the two again. He turned his back to the older as he started fussing over his now snow-covered camera, hurriedly trying to wipe it dry with his coat sleeve.

"Don't lie to me. Who else would it be out of the other five? Kim Hongjoong? Choi San? It has to be you, bastard!" Seonghwa launched himself at Jongho, tackling him to the ground from the back. Seonghwa rolled on top of Jongho, sitting on his stomach so he wouldn't be able to move or escape. As Seonghwa raised his right arm to throw a punch at the younger boy beneath him, he felt someone grab his wrist from behind, keeping him from hurting the boy under him. Looking back he saw Hongjoong standing there, fury in his eyes.

Seonghwa looked back down at Jongho who had closed his eyes tightly, ready to take the punch Seonghwa was about to give him. Upon not feeling anything, Jongho opened his eyes again, looking up at Hongjoong who had caught the the bully’s arm before he could do anything further. Jongho then told them again it wasn't him who had sent the damn letter, because he received one too. After seeing the oldest had calmed down a little, Hongjoong let go of his wrist and walked over to the black envelope which was still laying on the ground from when Seonghwa had thrown it at Jongho. He picked it up and saw the exact same letter which he had received.

"What? What the fuck is going on? Who the hell is it then?!" Seonghwa asked in a calmer voice now, but getting angrier at the end of the question again while he rolled off Jongho, getting back on his feet. Mingi had made his way outside the moment he had heard yelling from the front yard of the school. As he approached, he looked at the three males in front of him, before showing them that he had gotten the same letter too.

"Did you get one too?" Jongho asked Hongjoong as he sat back up, dusting the snow off of himself, to which the older nodded in response.

"What? Is this some sick joke? Who the hell would play such a fucked up prank like this?" Seonghwa asked with disbelief in his voice, mostly to himself, before kicking the snow on the ground, making it fly everywhere.

**2017, December 24th, 9:12 PM**

Mingi, Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Jongho returned back to the front doors of the school after their little drama out in the snow. Seonghwa went to pull the door open, only to find it had locked. He quietly looked around at the others as realisation hit him, they were locked out in the dark, cold night with a snowstorm only getting worse by the minute. Rolling his eyes at the older’s quiet panic, Mingi calmly made his way to the door, pushing Seonghwa away and held an electronic chip to the lock, unlocking the door for them. Seonghwa looked at him in disbelief, before taking a deep breath through his nose, trying to suppress his already raging anger before stomping past Mingi and through the doors.

All of them walked through the hallway making their way back to the cafeteria. Hongjoong broke the silence, asking if they thought it was a joke, to which Jongho responded as the first.

"Of course, I thought that from the beginning." Mingi questioned him why he had chosen to stay then if it was just a prank, Jongho giving him the obvious answer before leaving them to go to his room, he's the school’s journalist.

"Do you really think it's a joke?" Mingi asked Hongjoong, as they were the only two left, since Seonghwa had stormed off the moment they got inside, knocking down a few decorations on the way in pure anger.

"Maybe they made it fake to hide the truth…?"

**2017, December 24th, 10:22 PM**

Mr. Park and the stranger from the front gate from earlier, as he now has got to known as Mr. Lee Dongwook, were walking around the school together. Mr. Park was showing Dongwook the teacher’s dorm, the place where he would be able to sleep until the holiday ended and the roads would be cleared, seeing as he was trapped there due to the storm slowly raging outside. They walked up a set of stairs where there was a grid with a lock on it, stopping them from going further unless you had the key.

"I know this must seem pretty extreme, with locks and codes everywhere.. We had an incident 5 years ago where a student burnt down the teacher’s dorm, that's when this security system was installed." Mr. Park explained upon seeing the strangers confused face.

"What happened to them?" Dongwook wondered out loud.

"Who? Oh the person who started the fire? ...They jumped off the roof after leaving a suicide note saying their 3 years here was a nightmare.." Mr. Park said with a solemn expression on his face.

"A nightmare, huh..? So the kids here are inside someone else's nightmare.." Dongwook mumbled quietly to himself. Mr. Park looked at him, having not heard fully what he said, but chose to ignore it. He nodded his head for Dongwook to follow him so he could see his room once the gate was unlocked.

**2017, December 24th, 10:45 PM**

All seven students were gathered in the library on the comfortable couches, the room was big and open, books covering the walls, a staircase leading up to the student’s dorms and three big windows.

"So everyone here got the letter, correct?" Hongjoong asked. They all nodded before Seonghwa felt the need to make himself noticed again. He stood behind the couch San was sitting on, and made his way around it to sit on the other end of San.

"There's no need to worry about it. It's just some loser who's pulling a stupid joke." Seonghwa said amused with a light chuckle. Yeosang was the first to pipe up. 

"Really? If it's just a stupid joke then why don't we tell the teacher? If we tell him, he'll find out who did it for us. How about it? Let's find the loser who did this." Yeosang's voice held a mix of calmness and provocativeness as he knew Seonghwa didn’t have the balls to go through with it in the end. He nodded his head towards the teacher and Dongwook which were making their way into the library from the outside, casually talking. Seonghwa glanced towards the two elders before looking back at his fellow students, Hongjoong and Jongho doing the same.

Before Mr. Park could step into the room, all of them grabbed their letter which had all been placed on the table in front of them, quickly hiding the envelopes in their coats.

"What are you guys doing?'' Mr. Park asked once he had approached the students. Hongjoong told him they were just relaxing and enjoying the view over the hills that they had from the library. Mr. Park nodded his head, before gesturing to the man beside him.

"I think I should introduce you guys. This is Lee Dongwook, he's a doctor, a psychologist and will be staying here until the roads are clear again."

"How's your head?" Mingi questioned, after seeing the man being covered in blood when he first arrived.

"I feel a little dizzy but I'll be fine, thank you. As Mr. Park just said I'm a psychologist, and if you ever need someone to talk to or have any questions, you're always more than welcome to talk to me." Dongwook answered with a small smile on his face.

**2017, December 24th, 10:50 PM**

_The beat of a song was echoing throughout a room, the sound of a running shower was the only other evident sound besides from the song. In a window stood a computer opened up on some sort of security camera program. From the footage you could see the seven boys in the library, all of them sitting on top of Yeosang, annoying him as he had said something blunt- once again. Yeosang was laying on the couch, being crushed by the many males sitting on top of him, poking fun at him. All of them obviously slowly getting more comfortable with each other’s company._

**2017, December 25th, 7:30 AM**

The guys had been sent outside in the morning to shovel some of all the fallen snow away from the entrance. Yunho being his playful self had thrown a snowball at Jongho, which ended up with a full blown snowball war between all of them. In the middle of the current World War III that was happening in front of the school, Hongjoong saw Dongwook stand near the entrance observing them, as he had been assigned to do by Mr. Park. Hongjoong made his way over to him, trying to avoid the snow flying around him.

"You said you're a psychologist, right? Can you tell someone's state from what they have written?" Hongjoong asked the older male in front of him.

"To a certain point, yes I can. Is it someone close to you?"

"I guess you could say that, but the content is kinda..." Hongjoong trailed off, not knowing how to describe it.

"Not for others to hear? I get it. I as a psychologist must keep my patients' intel secret, so there's nothing for you to worry about." After a moment of complentation with himself, Hongjoong handed him the letter and tried to read the psychologist's facial expression as he read the letter. He looked over at Hongjoong once he was done reading and handed him the piece of paper again.

"This person is in a dangerous state, I'd say he's dealing with serious depression and aggression, this is someone who needs treatment as fast as possible."

Hongjoong nodded his head slowly before thanking Dongwook for his thoughts on the matter. The snowball war had died down by now, and all of them made their way back inside the school. Yunho walked beside Hongjoong and stopped in his steps to turn to the older. "What did he say?" Yunho asked with both curiosity and worry lacing in his voice. He had seen Hongjoong sneak off to talk with the doctor while everyone else was busy ganging up on each other in the snow.

"It's not a joke.." Hongjoong answered the taller male, before looking in Yeosang's direction. He was sitting alone on the stairs with his headphones in, not paying attention to the people around him. He had been sitting there all the time while the others were outside playing in the snow. When noticing Hongjoong and Yunho’s gaze on him, he rose to his feet and headed back to his room. 

Yeosang went to take a quick shower and changed his clothes afterwards. When he was done he went to his desk and opened the bottom drawer taking out a clear bottle with noticeable blue pills in it. He took his water and swallowed a pill in one go, before laying down on his bed. He reached for his guitar which was resting against the edge of the bed. Slowly he stroked his fingers over the cords on the guitar skillfully, making it give a beautiful tune in response. Yeosang heard a knock on his door but ignored it, instead focusing on the sound of his guitar. Hongjoong and Yunho entered the room after a moment, making Yeosang stop playing.

"When did you get it?" Hongjoong asked. Yeosang knew right away he was referring to the letter. He stood up from his bed and sat down on his swivel chair, in front of his mirror instead. "Yesterday, it was in my locker."

"Is that why you didn't go home as well?"

"I'm honoured. Someone hates me so much they want to die. It'd be impolite not to be here when it happens right?" Yeosang answered in his usual calm and bored voice.

Yunho picked up a small statue Yeosang had standing in his room, and panic flashed across Yeosang’s face for a moment when he saw it through the mirror he was sitting in front of before it went back to his neutral expression. "Put it back." Yunho obeyed the younger male and placed it back on the table. "Closer to the wall. If it's wrong, the corner monster could appear." Yeosang said.

 _"You made me a monster in the corner_." The familiar words ran through Hongjoong's mind, the monster in the corner.. Whoever wrote this letter was most likely referring to Yeosang.

"What is the ' _Corner Monster_ '?" Asked Hongjoong.

"A monster who lives in the corner," Yeosang stated as the most obvious thing.

"Have you seen it?"

"Yes, haven't you?" Yeosang had now moved from his swivel chair to sit in front of his bed, back resting against the wooden frame.

"No.." Hongjoong trailed off while moving over to squat down in front of the younger.

"What does it look like, Yeosang?"

"I don't know, I've never seen it properly, but one side of its face is blue. It's weird you haven't seen it, my mum always told me there was one in every house.." Yeosang said quietly.

"When did she tell you that?"

"When I was around 5 years old. After I had been kidnapped." Hongjoong turned to look at Yunho, an unreadable expression on his face. Hongjoong stood back up without another word, and left with Yunho to find San, leaving Yeosang to himself again. The two found San running on the treadmill, doing his daily workout in the gym.

"Is there anyone at our school with a blue mark on their face?" Hongjoong asked San bluntly without further ado while walking up to stand beside the treadmill San had just stopped running on.

"Pfff, he probably doesn't even know the faces of his own classmates." Yunho scoffed from behind Hongjoong.

" _You deleted me from your eyes._ Is that phrase about me?" San asked with no emotions in his voice, not turning to look at the two boys as he dried off the sweat from his neck with a towel. Hongjoong looked at San and followed him as he made his way out from the private gym after grabbing his bag and hoodie.

"That's the closest to me from the eight sins written in the letter. Then it's all about different people. It could still be either though. One person committed 8 sins or it could be separate," San said before walking off for good, leaving Hongjoong and Yunho behind.

**2017, December 25th, 8:40 AM**

Hongjoong walked around the corridors of the school holding an old newspaper in his hand while searching the hallways for Mingi. Hongjoong had been reminded of a stalker’s letter Mingi had received last year, after him and Yunho had talked with San about the sins that might be directed to them individually. He found the taller male looking out on the snow from a window in the southern part of the school.

"Mingi, last year at the Fall Festival.. you were stalked for a while, right? Someone sent you anonymous letters and you felt like you were being watched.." Hongjoong questioned knowing very well it was a sensitive topic for him, but he needed answers.

"So?" Mingi asked with a shrug, not wanting to remember what happened back then.

"The letter you received, you gave it to me right after without reading it. I wondered what I should do with it, so I published it in the school's newspaper under my name, hoping the stalker would either attack me or just stop." Hongjoong gave Mingi the newspaper in which the letter from his stalker had been written.

_To you: You are bad. You, who shine even brighter without me. Make my darkness so much thicker. Your name is bad. Your name which I cannot call. It's bad because it fits you so well. You are bad for laughing. My false hope became a poison and made me diseased._

"Why is there something that sounds like a stalker’s letter in the schools newspaper, Hongjoong?" Mingi's voice was filled with anger and most of all, pent up emotions from reading the letter for the first time since receiving it a year ago.

"If you didn't know it was a stalker, it just sounds like a love poem.. Do you think it's a coincidence? The comments about false hope in both the letter we received and the paper."

"So you're saying that I ridiculed their false hope? _'’You took the one thing I had and put it around your neck’_ ' That's you." Mingi said pointing at Hongjoong, before letting out a sigh. Mingi leaned his head against the window, letting out a frustrated groan before standing up tall again to take his leave, leaving Hongjoong alone in the corridor.

**2017, December 25th, 9:00 AM**

"That doesn't make any sense! We're only seven people but there's eight sins!" Seonghwa exclaimed, leaning back in the comfy white leather chair he was currently seated on. Hongjoong had just explained his theory to Yunho, Seonghwa & Jongho; about each line representing a different individual.

"Yeah, that doesn't make sense. But there's one among us that commits enough crimes for two or three people. _Unanimous_." Jongho said, turning his head to glare at Seonghwa, before pointing his finger at him. Seonghwa stood up from his chair ready to knock some sense into Jongho’s head, but before he could do that Hongjoong grabbed Seonghwa's collar, keeping him in place along with a warning glare. Seonghwa rolled his eyes with a sigh and Hongjoong let go of him, walking in front of the two males to stand at a whiteboard.

"Let's see how the seven of us are related first." Hongjoong said, taking the leader role as the most natural thing. Seonghwa sat back down in his chair before commenting "There's one I can think of.." While glancing in Jongho's direction.

Ignoring Seonghwa’s comment, Hongjoong continued. "Okay. If we start with me I was linked to Mingi as his best friend, I was in Seonghwa's class the 1st year and I'm in Yeosang’s class now. Yunho how about you?" Hongjoong asked. Yunho thought for a moment before answering. "I'm in the same class as Choi San now, but that's it.."

Jongho spoke up from his seat when Yunho couldn’t think of more ways he could be related. "Think carefully, didn't Seonghwa ever steal your money or something? Maybe he hit you?" 

"Once at the Fall Festival-" Before Yunho could finish Seonghwa interrupted him. "When the fuck did I ever do that?" He asked in a warning voice.

"Our class ran a sandwich shop. You left without paying.."

"Pff whatever.. it's nothing." Seonghwa shot back, sinking deeper into the chair.

"Hey! What happened between you two?" Hongjoong had caught their attention with his sudden outburst, asking the maknae for an explanation for their constant bickering.

"Ask him, he has hit me multiple times." Jongho responded simply, while having a slight smirk on his face, knowing he was pissing Seonghwa off.

"No wonder I beat you. You keep talking the more I beat you." Seonghwa mumbled.

"I resist even more when I'm being suppressed." Jongho said while clenching his fist in a heroic pose, now smiling like an idiot. Seonghwa raised his hand to give the maknae yet another beating, but Hongjoong caught his attention before he could actually do it.

"Seonghwa, who are you related to in all of this?"

"No one except him." The older sneered while gesturing towards Jongho on his right.

"What about Yeosang? I heard you could buy a building with the money you took from him." Jongho turned around in his chair to look at his bully. Seonghwa stood up from his chair once again, ready to beat up the sharp mouthed maknae. Hongjoong however saved Jongho's ass again, asking Seonghwa to tell them everything.

"You got to be kidding me! You've decided it's me so you're just trying to fit me in. Is this a targeted investigation?" Seonghwa yelled while throwing the glass he had been holding in his hands to the ground, making it break into tiny pieces that now covered the floor. Seonghwa walked closer to Hongjoong standing so close that Hongjoong could feel his warm breath on his face.

"If you want to do this properly, you should start over from the beginning. What about you Hongjoong, didn't you mention Choi San? You try your best, but can never defeat a born genius. You would be one to wish he wasn't around. You want to kill him, right?" Seonghwa spat at Hongjoong.

"San..." Yunho said surprised, but with regret evident in his voice. Hongjoong and Seonghwa turned to see San standing in the doorway to the room they had been in for the last 20 minutes.

"Aren't you going to have lunch?" That was the only thing San said before turning on his heels and walking back to where he came from. No sign of hurt crossed his face, even after what he had just heard. All of them stood frozen in their spot until San left, only then did Seonghwa turn back to the mullet guy in front of him.

"Anyway, none of this better get to the teacher. Especially you!" Seonghwa turned his head to look at Jongho, indicating he was talking about him, before leaving the room as well. San, Yunho, Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Jongho made their way to the cafeteria, just to find most of them already there including Dr. Lee. The only people missing were the teacher and Yeosang, the later entered the room seconds after the others. Everyone had sat down at the table when Seonghwa felt the need to break the silence.

" _Angel,_ where were you?" He asked, a smirk plastered on his face at the nickname he knew the younger hated.

"Angels in heaven, men on earth." Yeosang answered him with a slight hint of amusement in his voice. Truthfully Yeosang had his own little getaway place, which was the frames that held up the roof of the building, on top of the steel frames there was just enough space for him to sit and listen to his music in peace. Also, it was the only place he knew of where people wouldn't find him.

"Why is Yeosang called ' _Angel_ '?" Dr. Lee asked, directing the question at Seonghwa who had voiced out the name moments ago.

"Because Doctor, he donates. He remodelled the dorms to get into this school." Seonghwa answered with an amused glimpse in his eyes. Mingi swallowed the food he had in his mouth before turning to the doctor, pointing his fork in Seonghwa's direction. "His nickname is ' _Plague_ '. I'm sure you can tell why.”

Mingi heard a scoff from Seonghwa then continued talking. “ _Oh my bad_ , I thought we were discussing nicknames," Mingi snickered while looking back at Seonghwa who just chose to keep his mouth shut for once.

"He's still on the loose.. Why do you think he killed?" Jongho interrupted Mingi and Seonghwa's bickering. He had been listening to the radio for some time now and on the news they were talking about a serial killer who had been arrested two days ago, but had managed to escape.

"Because he's fucking crazy, why else? Haven't you heard what neighbours say after a criminal is caught? _'Oh my, he was such a kind and quiet kid. Why would he do such a thing?_ " Seonghwa said, imitating what he had heard many people say after the identity of a criminal had been revealed.

"If you got caught doing that, this is what I would say; _I knew this would happen someday.._ ” Mingi said with a dramatic sigh, looking over at Seonghwa.

"I don't think you'd say that. If I did such a thing, _you_ would be the first victim." Seonghwa responded, having a forced creepy smile on his lips.

"Are monsters like him born that way, or are they raised into monsters?" San spoke for the first time doing the meal. Everyone turned their attention to him, silently pondering on the question, which made San continue.

"They must have problems, be it natural or learned. They could have brain malfunctions or some DNA error.. If they were like that from birth, it's not their fault, it's just disability. Is it right to punish them then? If it's not the case that they were born that way... If their father was an alcoholic or their mother was irresponsible, if their criminal personality was formed later, is it their fault?" San finished off, brows slightly pressed together as the thought about it. Dr. Lee turned to San and looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"Do you think that criminals shouldn't be punished then?" The doctor questioned.

"They should be punished in order for society to function. I was just conserving whether such ethical, emotional criticism is right." San finished off while looking at Seonghwa, referring to what he had said earlier.

"It is." Hongjoong states confidently.

"Why?" San asked, emotionless as always.

"Even if he has brain problems or if he was raised in bad conditions, he chose to kill even though he knew it was a crime. If he chose to commit a crime, he should be criticised."

"Hormones in a person's brain-" San was cut off by Mr. Park who walked into the cafeteria with a "sorry I'm late, kids!"

**2017, December 25th, 11:38 AM**

Yeosang was the last to leave the cafeteria after their lunch, but before he could walk up the stairs to head back for his room, Dr. Lee called his name.

"Yeosang.. I'm sorry about earlier, it's none of my business, I shouldn't have asked." Dr. Lee said to the younger boy, referring to the nickname situation.

"It's okay, it's _my fault_ for being born into a rich family." Yeosang turned on his heels, going back to his room, not noticing how Dr. Lee's face fell when he said that. Yeosang sat on the floor and leaned his back against the door, hugging his knees. His eyes wandered across the room before they landed on the bottle with the blue pills. He stood up and walked over to his drawer, roaming through it for something else. He found his small silver box, which had three small white pills inside of it. 

**2017, December 25th, 12:03 PM**

Dr. Lee was sitting in the nursing room, changing the bandage on his forehead when he heard a knock on the door. Mingi slowly stepped inside greeting the doctor, before sitting on the bed. Mingi had found himself outside the nursing room after he had talked with Hongjoong about his stalker, and just needed to talk with someone else right now. He told the doctor he had a headache when Dongwook questioned why he was there and the doctor got up to find some painkillers and water for him.

"How did you get that scar?" Mingi couldn't help his curiosity of the big scar across the doctor's hand, but most of all, he just wanted to break the awkward silence.

"A stalker.. Some patients become obsessed with their doctor.."

"What happened? With the _stalker_?"

"I'm not sure, it's been quiet for some time, but sometimes they just appear out of the blue.." 

Mingi and Dr. Lee had been talking for some time now, both of them opening up to each other. Right this moment Dr. Lee was talking about the car accident from yesterday. "- everything was going in slow motion, I thought this is it for me, but weirdly I started hearing this old folk song in my head that my mum used to sing to me when I was a kid." Dr. Lee started tapping the end of his pencil against the table, creating a constant tapping sound for him to sing to.

" _Hide so I can't find you~ Hide so I can't find you~ I can see your braids~ You're hiding behind the tree~_ " Dr. Lee smiled slightly, stopping the tapping of his pen. He looked over at Mingi who was still sitting on the nursing bed, blank expression on his face. "Now, let's listen to your story, Mingi" The doctor said. Mingi simply nodded.

"There's no fairy tales or legends about a monster in the corner.. Maybe Yeosang's mum made that up.." Yunho sighed. He and Hongjoong had been in the older’s room, doing some research for the past hours, trying to find anything that could explain the ' _Corner Monster_ ' which Yeosang claimed to exist.

"If Yeosang sent the letters, I can understand.. He's quite unstable and has reasons to hate all of us." Hongjoong said.

"Reasons?"

" _Angel_ .. We call him that both in front of him and behind his back." Before Hongjoong could say anymore, there's a loud crash from the hallway. Both him and Yunho immediately got on their feet and walked out of the room. They looked around for a moment before hearing another crash, more precisely coming from Yeosang's room. Hongjoong pushed the door to Yeosang's room open to find him sitting on the floor, throwing whatever within his reach at the wall opposite of him with his signature bored facial expression. Yunho saw the silver box on Yeosang's desk and pointed it out to Hongjoong. The elder sat beside Yeosang asking if the ' _Corner Monster_ ' was in the room, which Yeosang nodded yes to.

"What does it look like, Yeosang?" Hongjoong asked carefully.

"A child, usually it's a child.."

Hongjoong was confused for a moment before asking. "Has there been expectations?"

"Only once.."

"When?"

"On the 1st year school trip.." Yeosang answered truthfully, before chuckling to himself and sliding down to lay on his back on the floor.

"Yeosang, do you remember the face of the monster you saw on the school trip?" Hongjoong asked desperately, only earning a weak chuckle from Yeosang. Yunho looked at the males before him with concern written across his face as he had no clue what to do other than watch.

"I gave it a name.. The monster in the corner." Hongjoong turned his attention back to Yeosang.

"Then it really became a monster in the corner.. if I call it flower, it becomes a flower." There was a long pause and Hongjoong stood up again, about to leave with Yunho when he heard Mingi's name slip from Yeosang's lips.

"What about Mingi?"

"The monster likes Mingi.. _It will probably eat him up_.."

**2017, December 25th, 1:49 PM**

Mingi was making his way outside in the snow covered ground of the school, an emotionless expression on his face as he walked determined towards his destination. Jongho met him on the way and greeted him, but the older simply ignored him and kept walking. Jongho shook his head, turned around and kept walking for a bit before he was being pushed to the ground by Hongjoong. The older quickly apologised after bumping into Jongho and kept running towards the entrance, Yunho not far behind, he had jumped over Jongho who was still lying confused by his seniors hurry on the ground. After Jongho got to his feet again he ran after Yunho and Hongjoong seeing their worried expressions. They ran in the same direction Mingi had gone.

Mingi stood in front of the clock tower, the wind gently blowing his dark brown hair, making it fall out of place. He took a deep breath as he looked down at the pure white snow beneath him that was slowly starting to get tainted with the blood dripping down from his wrist. He looked back up and took in the clear sky above him before collapsing into the soft but freezing cold snow, losing consciousness from the blood loss.

**2017, December 25th, 3:15 PM**

The school was more silent than ever. Mingi was laying on a bed in the nursing room to recover after Yunho and Hongjoong had found him unconscious and bleeding in the snow then had brought him back. Mr. Park had pulled Hongjoong to the teacher's office to talk with him about the matter and the others were attending their own business. 

The teacher looked at the resume of Song Mingi in his hand. "Sociable, positive and active. He was like that until the beginning of the 2nd year. He then became more aggressive and had no determination after six months. He didn't socialise with friends.." Mr. Park closed the resume, looking up at Hongjoong who sat right in front of him.

"When did you have a fall out with Mingi? I'm not talking about rule breaking, so tell me the truth. I doubt you broke that many rules anyway." Mr. Park finished off, placing the file on the desk beside him, then proceeded to stand up.

"Did he change after your fall out?" Hongjoong could barely form any proper words, his voice thick with emotions.

"No, he changed first.."

"The reason?" Mr. Park had now taken his coat on, looking back at the boy still seated on the chair.

"I don't know." Answered Hongjoong.

"You're hiding something, right Hongjoong? Two students remained last year. This year, there's seven. It's strange."

Jongho had taken some pictures of the scene where they had found Mingi as the curious journalist he was and was now looking through them with Yunho. He had been deadly cold once they reached him, his red blood covering the once white snow around him. Yunho stood beside him and felt nauseous just looking at the pictures and remembering what it looked like when they had found Mingi.

" _Under the clock tower, you will see someone dead._ " Seonghwa said loudly enough for Jongho and Yunho to hear, quoting what had been written in the letter they all had received. The oldest was tapping his finger against the table quietly while nibbling on his bottom lip.

"It meant you'd be killed.. If you received the letter, you'll be killed." Seonghwa said with an unamused voice. He stood up and walked over to stand beside Jongho, but with a good distance between them.

"An undefeatable murder? How can one person kill us all?" Jongho asked, the statement not very trustworthy coming from Seonghwa.

"You idiot. Mingi tried to kill himself. He did it himself."

"The murder sent a telepathic message to make Mingi kill himself. _Oh no.. we're all dead now._ " Jongho said sarcastically, moving to stand on the other side of Yunho, so Seonghwa wouldn't have easy access to beat him up. Seonghwa took in a deep breath between his closed teeth at Jongho’s sarcasm and tried to keep his anger from boiling over.

"There must be a trick. Let's say I suddenly want to die." Seonghwa started.

" _Please_.." Jongho muttered mainly to himself, but still loud enough for Seonghwa to hear, however he ignored it.

"What method would I use..? I would hang myself in my room, or jump of off the roof."

" _Hallelujah._ " Jongho said folding his hands, as if he was praying. Seonghwa ignored the maknae's comments again and continued.

"It's easy and wouldn't fail, but on this cold day he went to the clock tower, snow coming up to his knees.. Why? Why there?" Before Seonghwa could think further, Hongjoong returned with a solemn look on his face. Seonghwa ran up to him to ask what the teacher had said but Hongjoong ignored him and started walking past him, headed for his room, but Seonghwa wasn't having it and followed him.

"Tell us. Hey!" Hongjoong entered his room, slamming the door in Seonghwa's face, making the older scoff.

"How dare he ignore me-" Seonghwa jumped slightly and stopped complaining at the sound of a bang against the door. On the other side of the door, Hongjoong had thrown a punch at the door in pure frustration, trying to control the emotions swirling around inside of him.

Hongjoong had gone to seek out Jongho after he had calmed down and wrapped up his now bleeding hand after punching the door. He found the youngest sitting near the staircase, not really doing anything, so Hongjoong sat beside him.

"The day has come at last. Susin High, where the top 1% of the nation attend. The genius among that 1% is now asking me for help." Jongho said in a melodramatic voice.

"Do you have the tape that you recorded at last year's school trip?" Hongjoong asked the boy.

"Of course. A farmer plants his seeds before dying, and a cameraman leave his tape-"

Hongjoong cut him off before he could continue, not having his melodramatic ass at the moment. "Can you see if there's a blue face among the recordings?" 

"A blue face? Like in 'Avatar'?"

"It was a school trip. I'm sure people got dressed up for the talent show. See if they're wearing blue makeup or wearing a mask.. Or even a blue hat." Jongho nodded, still slightly confused at the request, but agreed anyway. He went back to his room without another word to Hongjoong and found the tapes he was looking for. When opened his computer, he heard his hearing aid beeping, as an indication that it was running out of battery. Jongho pulled it out and put it in it’s charger, seeing as he wouldn’t need that when looking for a face, and went back to looking through the videos.

**2017, December 25th, 4:20 PM**

Seonghwa was standing outside of the nursing room, peeking through the slightly opened door to see Mingi laying on the bed, breathing steadily and resting. When he felt a presence behind him, he turned around to see Dr. Lee standing there. Not in the mood or bother to talk with him, he started walking away, but Dr. Lee spoke up before he was out of reach. "The scars were only on the surface and he didn't lose too much blood. You don't have to worry too much." The doctor said with a reassuring smile. Seonghwa turned back around to face the doctor with a cold expression.

"Why would I care about _him_?"

"This is an interesting place.." The doctor said calmly, looking away from the student.

"It's famous. Susin High, Seclusion High, _Prison High_. Call it what you want."

"What interests me is not the school itself, but you students. Your faces when alone and the face you show to others are different." Seonghwa gave him a sarcastic smile then walked away, not having more of the strangers bullshit. He walked alone in the dark hallways, the only thing lighting it up being the moon light shining through the massive windows. Seonghwa stopped mid walk to turn around as he thought he heard a noise, but nothing was there. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself, but his mind was running wild. He stuffed his hands deep into his jeans pockets and walked back to his room at a fast pace. Once inside his room, he locked his door and took a deep breath to try and calm himself again, obviously overreacting over such a small thing.

Seonghwa looked around the room before going over to a small table and pushing it up against his door so no one would be able to get inside. Once satisfied and slightly more calm, he sat back down at his desk and went to pull the chair under him closer to the desk, but he couldn't. The chair didn’t budge. Seonghwa froze and noticed a pink chewed bubblegum on the corner of his laptop, which he definitely didn't place there. Slowly he turned his head back to see a dark figure behind him, holding the back of his chair, explaining why he couldn't move it.

"Hey _Plague~_ " The sudden guest said with a dark smirk curling up on his lips.

Seonghwa fell to his knees with a scream and desperately crawled across the floor towards his door, desperate to get away and now highly regretting he had pushed the table there earlier. He was desperately trying to move the table aside, his breath coming out in short anxious huffs. The blonde haired guy just smirked at Seonghwa’s panic before kicking his back, making the older let out a scream and fall flush down on the floor, trying his best to scramble away as the stranger kept beating him up.

Jongho's room was next door to Seonghwa’s and he was still looking through the videos to find a blue faced individual among the many clips he had from the fall festival. He had taken his hearing aid out, due to the lack of batteri and therefore didn't notice the commotion next door, staying in his peaceful little bubble. The room on the opposite side was Yeosang's room and he was currently playing his guitar while listening to music in his headset, so he wouldn’t come to Seonghwa’s rescue either.

Yunho and Hongjoong was walking together. Yunho had as well as Jongho been looking through videos from last year's trip to find a blue face, but without any luck sadly.

"Did you find anything?" Hongjoong asked, but already knowing the answer before Yunho had answered him.

"No, I didn't.. But I think it's true Yeosang passed out during the school trip. I thought that maybe Yeosang was lying, but Mr. Park came by and-" Yunho was cut off by a scream then a heavy object hitting something or rather, someone.

"Save me!" Seonghwa yelled, hoping anyone- even Jongho, would hear him. Yunho and Hongjoong heard the screams and looked at each other then ran in the direction of the sounds.

"Seonghwa? Seonghwa, what's wrong?" Hongjoong said, standing outside Seonghwa's room, trying to open the door and knocking on it.

"Hongjoong! Save me!" Seonghwa yelled out desperately to the guy on the other side. Seonghwa looked back and saw the blonde haired male with a steel bat in his hands, smirking at him. Hongjoong managed to open the door enough for him to fit through, but tripped over the table once he was in. He looked up and was face to face with a guy, a little taller than him, blonde hair strands covering his eyes, and a smirk on his lips.

" _Jung_..?" Hongjoong said in disbelief at the sight of the younger, but it sounded more like a question. Seonghwa saw this as his chance to escape as Jung’s attention was on Hongjoong for now. He scrambled to his feet and jumped over the table in front of the door, rolling onto the floor of the hallway. 'Jung' as Hongjoong had called him simply shook his head, with an amused expression on his face. The short male walked after the limping Seonghwa, but before he could get to him Hongjoong had stepped in front of him, hands on his chest for him not to move.

"Jung Wooyoung, what are you doing here?" Hongjoong asked him, disbelief evident on his face, while he still struggled to hold Wooyoung back, even with Yunho's help.

"You're staying without permission. You used violence in school. If the teacher comes, that's a week in the detention room. You’re cool with that?" Hongjoong asked when Wooyoung hadn't answered his first question.

"Thank you for worrying about me, but I'm already expelled. Do you think a dead body is scared of getting injections?" Wooyoung asked with a sarcastic tone, keeping his eyes on his target, Seonghwa. The younger walked towards the limping male, but Hongjoong stopped him once again. "Wait! Let us at least know why. Why are you here and why are you beating up Seonghwa? Not that we all haven’t wanted to do that.."

"Ask him why," Wooyoung snarled back at Hongjoong while keeping his eyes locked on Seonghwa.

"I don't know shit! That psycho suddenly came at me! He's crazy! Completely nuts!" Seonghwa defended himself frantically while was blood oozing out from his nose and some running down from his eyebrow and lips.

"I may live a hopeless life, but I don't take guff for other people's business. That statute. I didn't do it." Wooyoung said, his eyes shifting between looking at Hongjoong straight in the eyes and looking back at Seonghwa. All of them knew what Wooyoung was talking about. Just a couple days before the holiday, the statue of the founder of the school, which was placed at the front entrance, had been blown to pieces. Wooyoung being the official troublemaker had been blamed immediately and been expelled from the school without further need for evidence.

"Then who?" Hongjoong asked calmly, hoping his calm demeanor could help Wooyoung calm down too. The later simply looked at Seonghwa, a smirk growing on his features which made Hongjoong and Yunho turn to look at Seonghwa too.

"What! _Me_? Why would I do that?" Seonghwa asked, sounding offended and angry at the same time.

"Do you have any proof?" Hongjoong asked looking back at Wooyoung.

"That's right. Proof. Fireworks were taken from the school's storeroom. Two boxes, what did you do? Have a firework festival, _Plague_?"

"You think I took them? No way! Who told you that?" Seonghwa's voice was getting angrier with each word.and he leaned more of his weight against the door behind.

"It's not you? Well too bad, I don't care because I'm going to believe that it was you." The blonde haired guy walked around Hongjoong and Yunho, making his way towards Seonghwa who immediately turned around and tried to open the door he had been leaning up against. Yunho stepped in between Wooyoung and Seonghwa, telling Wooyoung his expulsion could be cancelled if they found the real culprit.

"Move aside and I'll find the culprit immediately," Wooyoung spat back while keeping his eyes on Seonghwa who had stopped trying to escape once Yunho had stepped in.

Yunho sighed "It can't be known that you're here. If word gets out that you remained here and used violence, aside from the statue, you'll exceed the penalty limit."

"I'll tell the principal as soon as the holiday is over. Then you can return." Hongjoong piped in, helping Yunho trying to convince Wooyoung.

"There's no need. He'll go and tell the teachers right now anyway." Wooyoung said and was only a few steps away from Seonghwa now, and the older couldn't possibly become one more with the glass door than he already was.

"He won't say anything." Hongjoong tried one last time.

"What makes you so sure?" Wooyoung looked back at Hongjoong with genuine curiosity in his eyes at Hongjoong’s confidence.

**2017, December 25th, 6:38 PM**

Wooyoung and Hongjoong were sat on the elder’s bed. Hongjoong holding the black envelope in his hands before passing it to Wooyoung.

"So you all received this letter? And no one told the teacher? There's gotta be something else.." Wooyoung trailed off and Hongjoong sighed.

"Ooh Kim Hongjoong, you're not as innocent as you look~" Wooyoung teased, nudging the older’s side with his elbow.

Meanwhile, Yunho had been talking to Seonghwa since Wooyoung had gone with Hongjoong to talk. The oldest kept telling Yunho it wasn't him that had blown up the statue no matter how hard the younger tried to get him to confess. Yunho had left Seonghwa's room and found Hongjoong outside in the hallway to the boys dormitories and Yunho told him that Seonghwa kept saying it wasn't him.

"Even if he stole it, he wouldn't have done it alone.. A manual bomb and timer. Seonghwa couldn't make that." Hongjoong stated while looking at Yunho, who was nodding in agreement. "What about Wooyoung then? Seonghwa has better grades than he does." Yunho asked.

"Wooyoung was scouted."

"What?" Confusion crosses Yunho's face.

"He was scouted here. He got a three year scholarship. He was in the very top percentile of middle school students."

"Really? Then why..?"

"He even beat Choi San in the first year. It was only once though.. Didn't you know?" Hongjoong asked the taller male who looked extremely confused by all the new information.

"Of course not.. I only came this spring." Hongjoong nodded, remembering the younger had barely been there for a year. "Anyway, I don't think Wooyoung has anything to do with the letters."

**2017, December 26th, 8:15 AM**

The sun shined through the windows in Hongjoong's bedroom, giving it a warm feeling and lighting it up further from the white snow covering the ground outside. Hongjoong was still in a peaceful slumber when Wooyoung placed his hand over the sleeping boy's throat, applying a bit of pressure, making Hongjoong wake up right away, slightly startled. Wooyoung laughed at the elder’s expression, moving away and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What is it? It's still early..." Hongjoong rubbed his eyes, waiting for Wooyoung to reply before he got out of bed.

"How can you be sleeping? Think a little deeply about who sent you the letter. You should quiver at the curse between the lines. Show a little respect to the writer." Wooyoung said in his high pitched whiny voice, catching Hongjoong's attention and making him let out a huff.

"Who do you think sent it?" Wooyoung asked. Shaking his head Hongjoong told him he didn't know. The answer made Wooyoung click his tongue, telling Hongjoong he didn't have the foundations in place.

"The same goes for _you_. Someone stole fireworks and made a bomb. They knew you'd come out and blew up the statue so you’d be blamed. You don't know who did that either." Hongjoong snapped back making Wooyoung frown for a moment before he stood up with a smile on his face.

"If you really hate someone you don't make it obvious. It's only when you dislike them that you pick fights and swear at them. If you really hate someone, it's done in secret, not even the ones being hated knows." Wooyoung had walked to Hongjoong's window to look out at the scenery as he spoke, then he spotted San walking casually in the snow outside.

"Is it okay for you to just walk around as you please?" Hongjoong questioned the younger guy after having dragged himself out of bed to go over and stand beside Wooyoung. "Don't worry, I have a second sight." Wooyoung sent a wink in Hongjoong's direction.

**2017, December 25th, 8:38 AM**

After Wooyoung had left, Hongjoong had gotten cleaned up then made his way to the nursing room to check up on Mingi. When he opened the door he saw the younger sleeping on the bed. He quietly sat on a chair beside the bed, taking Mingi's hand in his own to look at the scars on his left wrist. He started cleaning the younger's wounds gently, which made Mingi stir in his sleep from the slight pain. He gently moved Mingi's jacket further up his arm, exposing old cut scars all the way up his arm. Hongjoong froze as he looked at the scars, just then Mingi retreated his arm back to his chest as he had woken up from his sleep, due to Hongjoong's touch. Hongjoong looked up at him, sadness filling his eyes.

"What is this? You really... _Why_?" Hongjoong wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer but before he could stop himself, he had already opened his mouth.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because of you. After our fall out, I couldn't stand it. Happy now? It has nothing to do with you, whether I stab myself or drown myself in alcohol.. Just be polite and pretend you don't know." Mingi said, not once looking at Hongjoong.

"How can I pretend not to know you?" Hongjoong's voice cracked at the last word, his past emotions all coming back to him, hitting him harder than ever.

"Then maybe you should've acknowledged me a long time ago,’’ Mingi shot him. ‘’When I was _really_ lost. I understand though, you were bothered by a friend who suddenly changed. When I suddenly told you I didn't want you near me anymore, I bet you were relieved. It was too late then, but now it's really too late. So don't worry about it, Hongjoong."

Hongjoong was speechless, his emotions were a mess and he barely managed to whisper out a quiet '’ _fine’’_ after Mingi had pushed him away again. After taking a moment to gather himself, he cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Fine. I'm not your family, and I'm no longer your friend. But I can't ignore you. There's something strange about you-"

"Yes I'm strange. I'm not normal, Hongjoong. What _is_ normal? Yeosang, Seonghwa, Jongho, do you think they're normal? If you want to help someone, look at them first. Actually.. Look in the mirror first. You feel way too guilty over things you can’t control. That's abnormal too. If you were the one slitting your wrist, everyone would understand. ' _Ahh, the child who lived in place of his mum. He killed himself_ ' that's what people would say. They would understand and pity you." Mingi's voice was now filled with emotions too, cracking every now and then as he spoke and he was trying his best to keep the threatening tears back.

Hongjoong stood up abruptly, not wanting to discuss the topic further, turning around to leave the nursing room, he was suddenly face to face with San who had just entered the room, his glasses resting on the tip of his nose. He had heard the conversation as he was walking by and couldn’t stop himself from coming in to share his own thoughts on the matter.

"Don't whine either then. You keep whining for attention, but tell him not to notice you. It's your life, so do what you want but don't burden others. If you really want to die, do it quietly when no one's around." San said, no emotions making it onto his face as usual.

"Choi San." Hongjoong warned, but before he could continue Mingi muttered a quiet '’ _fine’_ ' as he lifted his head up to look at the two boys before him. "I won't die at school. _Happy_?" San left the room without another word as fast as he had entered it, leaving Hongjoong and Mingi alone again.

Hongjoong was standing in the hallway, looking at the beautiful view outside as snow had now completely covered everything. His thoughts were however distracted when Yunho called his name, asking the elder to follow him as Jongho might have found the ' _Blue Face_ ' they had been looking for in the tapes. The two of them made their way to Jongho's room, standing behind Jongho to get a better look on the computer screen, that being the only thing lighting up the otherwise dark room.

"This is the 2nd day of the trip in Matsuri. This is at the motel at night." Jongho explained and gestured to the screen on his left. The video showed a clip of Seonghwa and a few other guys he'd normally hang out with, they were walking around with blue balloons in their hands, which contained blue water coloured paint.

"I'm sure there was a sign saying not to throw those at people.. But it's Park Seonghwa _, the Plague_.." Jongho said, knowing the others would understand where he was going with that.

**2017, December 25th, 9:58 AM**

Seonghwa cracked the door in his room open and poked his head out to the hallway, scanning the empty hallways for any signs of Wooyoung. When he didn't notice the fierce midget, he slowly made his way out into the hallway. What Seonghwa didn't know was that even though Wooyoung wasn't there, he was still watching him on his laptop from the school’s security system he had hacked into. A smirk made its way onto Wooyung’s face as he licked his dry lips, quickly closing the device and getting up from his spot on the bed.

Seonghwa quietly walked to Yeosang’s room which was the room next to his on the left, after having made sure Wooyoung wasn’t around. He made sure to stay on his toes just in case Wooyoung suddenly appeared out of nowhere like yesterday. Feeling like a prey being hunted whenever he left his safe space of his dorm. He knocked on Yeosang's door before walking in, showing a little manner for once. When he entered he saw his depressed _Angel_ wasn't present in the room. He closed the door behind him and locked it, snooping around the room he took a wrapped piece of chocolate which Yeosang had standing in a clear jar on his desk, quietly eating it as he kept looking around before eventually leaving.

Moments after Seonghwa had left, Wooyoung entered Yeosang's room. He had seen what Seonghwa was doing on the security cameras and was now curious. He opened the same drawer Seonghwa had put something in just moments ago. When he opened the drawer, he saw an extremely expensive silver watch. Wooyoung picked up the accessory and looked on the backside of the watch, seeing 'K.Y.S' carved into the back of the watch.

" _Hmm.. so now the Plague is returning his stolen goods, huh?_ " Wooyoung thought to himself with an amused chuckle leaving his lips. Seconds later a smirk made it onto his lips as an idea popped into his head. He put the watch into his coat pocket and left the room, like he had never been there.

Seonghwa made his way around the hallways after having paid a little visit to Yeosang’s room. Walking around he saw Jongho polishing the lens of his camera on a bench by the window, Hongjoong sitting just a few feet away too, minding his own business. 

"Where's Angel?" Asked Seonghwa bluntly, not genuinely curious, as he passed the resident maknae and the school’s genius.

"You have sinned a lot, so you wouldn't be able to see him," Jongho fires back, making the older turn to look at him, giving him his full attention now.

"Do you really need me to hit you every single day?" Hongjoong who was sitting only a few steps away from Jongho suddenly spoke up, having heard Seonghwa’s sudden interest in Yeosang’s whereabouts.

"What about Yeosang?"

"Just.. I haven't seen him around. We don't want him to have slit his wrists too." Seonghwa answered, stumbling a bit over his words and looking at the smaller mullet guy. Hongjoong let out a sigh at the oldest’s response and reached into his pocket, pulling out a photo of Seonghwa holding a blue balloon.

"Here," Hongjoong said, handing Seonghwa the picture.

Seonghwa gave the picture a quick glance. "From the school trip?" Seonghwa looked confused at Hongjoong. The younger nodded. "Remember who you threw that balloon at?" Seonghwa looked closer at the photo and before he could give Hongjoong his desired answer, Jongho pipped up.

"Of course not, he has committed so many sins. How could he remember?" Seonghwa looked at Jongho, but ignored him and turned his attention back to Hongjoong, asking him what this was about. Hongjoong stood up before saying a sentence they all knew too well.

 _"You tainted me, made me pitiful_."

"You threw a balloon with paint at someone's face, he went into Yeosang's room and Yeosang tricked himself into thinking he was the monster in the corner. If you can remember who you-" Hongjoong didn't get to finish before Seonghwa was throwing a fit again.

"You jerks keep trying to link me! What the hell is the monster in the corner? Does having paint make me a criminal? It was just water coloured paint for fucks sake!" Seonghwa yelled in order to defend himself, frustration obvious on his face. He crumbled the picture in his hands before throwing it to the ground.

"Even if Angel is strange, how could he confuse that?" Seonghwa sneered before walking away, leaving Hongjoong and Jongho behind without the answer they were hoping to get. 

Seonghwa went to the concert hall of the school since Yeosang often would be there. Walking around, he yelled out for Yeosang but got no response. "Where has he gone?" Seonghwa mumbled to himself, walking around the floor of the stage. A sudden sound from above made Seonghwa let out a shriek, looking up to find the source of the sound, but there was nothing to see. Seonghwa heard a thump beside him and slowly turned his head to see the all too familiar set of blonde locks standing beside him. 

Wooyoung walked up to Seonghwa with a bored expression on his features. " _Boo_! Hah, I thought you'd go running, maybe even piss your expensive designer pants a bit." Wooyoung let out a chuckle, Seonghwa was just glaring at the shorter male, standing like a deer caught in the headlights as he tried not to seem like a coward.

"Why are you looking for Angel anyway?" Wooyoung asked, but when he didn't get an answer, he wrapped an arm around Seonghwa's neck, holding the older close so his back was pressed against Wooyoung's chest.

"Come on, tell me" Wooyoung whispered in Seonghwa's ear, making the older swallow noticeable.

"The relationship between you, Angel and this watch.." Wooyoung pulled out the silver watch from his pocket which Seonghwa had placed in Yeosang's desk earlier.

**2017, December 25th, 12:21 PM**

Hongjoong was sitting in the resting area of the school, looking at the letter all of them had received.

" _You tainted me, made me pitiful_.. This was on the school trip last August. Mingi ridiculed his hope, and I stole something of his. October." As Hongjoong was pondering his thoughts out loud, Yunho had sat down beside him, placing a cup of coffee on the table in front of them.

"Chronological order?" Yunho asked, catching onto what Hongjoong was thinking. Hongjoong nodded his head yes to answer Yunho's question.

"If we find out who Seonghwa threw the ballon at.. -" Loud footsteps interrupted Hongjoong before he managed to finish his sentence.

"Hongjoong! Angel will die! That psycho went to kill him." Seonghwa was standing near the staircase that led up to the resting area, looking out of breath like he had just run a marathon. Hongjoong and Yunho were on their feet in a matter of seconds and followed Seonghwa, who was leading them out to the backyard of the school.

Wooyoung had found Yeosang sitting in the backyard, quietly admiring a deer that had made its way onto the school’s ground, most likely through the forest covering up the backside of the school. Wooyoung went up to Yeosang, grabbing him by the collar before slapping him across the face, making Yeosang fall to the ground with a whine.

"Was it you?" Wooyoung asked, he turned the older male onto his back and sat on his stomach, about to give him another hard slap when he was tackled to the ground by Yunho and Hongjoong. Yeosang slowly stood up, dusting the loose snow off his jacket and jeans. Yunho was trying to hold down Wooyoung but failed. Wooyoung threw a punch at Yeosang's angelic face before Hongjoong turned him around and threw a punch back at Wooyoung, making him stumble back in shock, holding his jaw. Wooyoung let out a laugh, walking past Hongjoong.

"You want to fight?" Wooyoung asked, a mix of anger and excitement present on his face. Before Wooyoung could hit Hongjoong again, the sound of Mr. Park's voice caught their attention. Wooyoung quickly pulled the headpiece of his jacket over his head, not wanting to be recognised.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Park yelled from the balcony, looking down on the guys in the backyard, Dr. Lee standing by his side.

"Who's fighting who? Should I be the referee?" Mr. Park yelled, making sure the students could hear him. Hongjoong assured the teacher that it was nothing, and they would all leave immediately. Mr. Park nodded, turning around to go back inside with Dr. Lee. "Is it okay to leave them?" The doctor asked concerned.

"Their blood is hot at nineteen, they need to cool down sometimes. I used to play sports, so I'm a little generous about fights. Plus, it's not like they're ganging up against one boy. It's better to just let them handle it themselves" Mr. Park reassured him, making the doctor nod in understandment.

"Besides, Kim Hongjoong is there. He'll take care of it." With that the teacher and doctor walked back into the warmth of the building.

**2017, December 25th, 1:54 PM**

Yeosang, Yunho, Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Wooyoung were gathered in Hongjoong’s dorm once again after everyone had calmed down from the fight outside. It almost seemed that Hongjoong’s room had unofficially been pronounced their secret conference room. Wooyoung took a chair and turned it backwards before sitting down in front of everyone, resting his arms in front of him on the back of the chair.

"I have something to say before I investigate this. Angel, you'll tell the truth whether it's a disadvantage to you or not," Wooyoung said, looking towards Yeosang who didn’t bat an eye and kept quiet.

"Right to remain silent? You wish." Wooyoung spat as Yeosang wasn't answering him.

"Is it true Seonghwa stole the fireworks and sold it to you?" Wooyoung kept looking at Yeosang, but the quiet boy didn't move a muscle.

"It's true! You gave me the watch as payment!" Seonghwa groaned, making Wooyoung turn to him, snapping at him to shut up, which he quickly did.

"What did you do with it?" The question was again directed to Yeosang.

"I gathered the black powder. With that, the statue.. Boom~ It wasn't explosive so it wasn't that effective, as you all know." Yeosang said in a dramatic voice.

"Why? Why did you do that?!" Seonghwa asked, flabbergasted.

"Isn't it obvious? To put _that_ psycho into a trap." Yeosang answered matter of factly, slowly looking back at Wooyoung with a look of malice taking over his normally cold features. The look of confusion was obvious on Wooyoung’s face as the older spoke. 

"What did I do?".

"You ruined everything. My efforts, my determination, my future.. The only chance I had to get out of this Alcatraz." Yeosang said in an awful calm voice. Wooyoung interrupted him before he could go on.

"Excuse me, I have an objection. Are you sure you have the right man?" This made Yeosang let out a dry chuckle before he took a deep breath and leaned his head back against the wall he was sitting up against.

_On top of the school's roof, Wooyoung was putting on his black leather jacket while having a crazy smile on his face. He put on his helmet as well as the rest of the gear for his little stunt. Wooyoung had been planning this for some time now. Today, many parents had come to see their children perform for the Fall Festival, but Wooyoung wanted to give them something else to remember. He was going to bungee jump from the school’s roof._

"My performance was just about to start, the school's auditorium was full. There were 200 chairs, yet some had to stand at the back. I convinced the principal and made a band rehearsal room. I convinced Kihyun and Hyungwon even though they had to study. Do you think that was easy? I put everything on the line for that performance, but.." Yeosang swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to keep his emotions at bay before continuing.

"But due to your stunt, the seats were all empty before we even finished the first song. That was all because of your crazy act. Everything I worked so hard for went down the drain. You wanted everyone's attention, so I let you have it. Are you satisfied now? Your name will remain in this school's history. The first expelled student of Susin High." Yeosang looked at Wooyoung, now with a mix of anger and hurt in his eyes from recalling the memory.

"Fine... Because of my _popular and dynamic_ act.. Ugh, I'm sorry it ruined your performance, but over a little performance..-"

 _"A little performance?"_ Yeosang asked with disbelief in his voice, now standing up from his seat.

"My parents came, they said they'd decide after they heard me sing! If it was good, they would let me out of this place.. From his hell where you all call me _Angel_. But you ruined everything!" Yeosang was full out yelling now, taking everyone by surprise. He stifled a sob and sat back down on the bed, feeling a tear escaping the corner of his eyes and rolling down his cheek. Wooyoung stood up and walked to exit the room, but not before saying a last thing to Yeosang.

"I'm really sorry, Yeosang. Maybe it’s too late.. _But I'm truly sorry.._ "

Yeosang and Wooyoung had both left the room by now, leaving behind Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Yunho. Seonghwa looked in Hongjoong's direction. "If I had known, I wouldn't have sold him the fireworks. I'm not that brave.." Seonghwa said while walking up to stand beside the shorter male.

"Let's just tell the teachers that Angel got the fireworks from somewhere else, huh? Angel will be excused no matter what he does.. If they find out that he sent the letters, no one will care about who stole the firework." Seonghwa was trying to persuade Hongjoong, but he didn't really listen.

"You think _Yeosang_ sent the letters?" That was the only thing Hongjoong had caught on to.

"Of course! He said so himself. He wants to get out of here, but there's no way out, so he planned to destroy the school by creating a huge issue. Look at the kids who received the letters! Choi San, Song Mingi, you, the camera dude and me. If he gathers us to create an issue, the school's ruined. If that statue incident happened in the city it would be big news, but they just kept quiet about it as we're in the mountains."

Yunho looked at Seonghwa, stopping him from rambling on. "What about me? I got one too but I'm nothing special.."

"Maybe it was delivered to the wrong person," Seonghwa shrugs.

"What about the content?" Hongjoong asked.

"He just wrote whatever." Seonghwa whined.

"No. The guy who stalked Mingi was for real."

Hongjoong stepped into the nursing room to find only Dr. Lee there.

"Where's Mingi?" He asked, obviously not liking that the younger wasn't present.

"Oh Hongjoong! Mingi went out just now. Don't worry, he's much stronger now." Said Dr. Lee before looking back in the mirror to clean the wound on his forehead.

"He's just being stubborn.." said Hongjoong almost exhausted.

"If he's being stubborn or angry, at least he's displaying emotions."

"Did you see his wrist..?"

"You mean the knife marks? Yes.. that bothers me too. Cutting is something some people do to inflict pain on their body to feel that they're alive. But it's different to suicide.. His suicide attempt, it wasn't natural."

Hongjoong nodded at the doctor's words then left the nursing room to look for Mingi. He found the younger sitting in the cafeteria eating. Mingi didn't even have to look up, to know Hongjoong was watching him. "Is it weird seeing me eat when I wanted to kill myself yesterday?" Mingi asked, putting his glass down on the table. Hongjoong let out a sigh and walked over to the long table, taking a seat on Mingi’s right side.

"Tell me about yesterday, Mingi"

"What do you want to know?"

"Why did you want to die suddenly? Why there? Under the Clock Tower.." Mingi didn't respond, he shifted his eyes across the room now knowing where to look or what to say.

"If you don't want to talk to me, I'll call someone else." Hongjoong said, standing up from his chair.

"I don't know..! It was like I wasn't me.. Like I was in a dream. You know, like when you take strong flu medicine.." Mingi said in a quiet voice.

"Like you were on _drugs_?" Hongjoong asked, even more confused than before.

"A little.. Like I was floating on air. I don't know, it was my first time. I've never fainted before. Maybe I'll realise after I've tried a few times." Mingi finished talking to look up at Hongjoong. The older had a painful expression on his face.

**2017, December 25th, 3:42 PM**

Yeosang was laying on his bed, when Hongjoong entered the room. The older walked over to his side, looking down at him. Hongjoong saw a small silver case on the floor, he picked it up and opened it, seeing a tiny pill inside it. Hongjoong hurried to Yeosang's side again and helped him sit up before asking him where the other pill was, he knew he had seen two in the the case last time he was there and had stumbled upon the silver case. Yeosang simply poked his tongue out, showing the white pill still resting on his tongue.

Hongjoong went to the bathroom and dropped the last pill into the toilet then flushing it. "Geez, that costs a lot.." Yeosang mumbled in his dazed state when Hongjoong returned.

In the cafeteria Mingi had just finished eating what his appetite had allowed him to after Hongjoong had taken his departure. He saw San enter the cafeteria, heading to the open kitchen area. Mingi stood up and walked over to sink near San to wash the plate he had just used. San not sparing him a moment of his attention.

"Motive is the first step in a crime. He has the perfect motive. The doctor said that a crazy guy wrote the letter too. Who's the craziest in this school? Wooyoung and Angel. It has to be Angel.." Seonghwa rambled to Yunho as they entered the cafeteria together, Mingi passing them quietly as he left the same moment.

"But the monster in the corner.. Yeosang said he saw it." Yunho responded, trying to protect Yeosang a little without making it obvious.

"It must be a lie!" Seonghwa exclaimed.

"You threw a balloon with paint too." This made Seonghwa turn around to face the taller but younger male.

"Yah! That was just water coloured paint. You can wash it off with fucking water. How can you confuse that with a birthmark?!"

"Still.."

"It's impossible to confuse. I know Angle's weird, but that's not possible. It's impossible, got that?" Seonghwa asked, raising his voice to make a point.

"It is possible." Hongjoong joined the little bickering while walking down the stairs to join Seonghwa and Yunho at the bottom, coming straight from Yeosang’s room.

"If Yeosang was under special circumstances at that time. If he was on drugs.."

"Drugs?" Seonghwa blurted out surprised, to which Hongjoong nodded.

"You can go check it out now. He's totally gone." Hongjoong said which made Seonghwa shove past him, walking back up the stairs to the men's dormitory.

Yeosang was sitting on the floor, back pressed against the wooden frame of his bed while his head was thrown back to rest on the soft mattress, mindlessly playing his guitar as that was the only comfort he had. Yeosang saw someone walking towards him so he slowly lifted his head, but the sight made his heartbeat quicken, breath caught in his throat. Kneeling before him was a grown up version of the monster in the corner. He looked between the grown up in front of him and the child still sitting in the corner, his breathing starting to quicken further and get uneven. The grown up rose to his feet, still looking down on Yeosang who was now a hyperventilating mess close to crying.

The grown monster, still standing up, bent forward so his face was only a hands distance away from Yeosang's.

"Do you know who I am?" The monster asked.

"Why? Why are there _two_?" Yeosang choked out between sobs, leaning desperately further back towards his bed to get away from the monster.

"Who am I? Tell me who I am." The monster said again, wanting an answer.

"M-monster.. " stuttered out Yeosang.

"Tell me, or I'll eat you up."

"The monster in the corner.. Why are there two of you!? Mum! Mum! Save me!" Yeosang was now having a full on anxiety attack, shaking and head blurry as he tried to make sense of the situation. He moved away from the monster to the middle of his room instead, creating more distance between them. He kept covering his head, sobs escaping his lips.

"That’s right, I'm the monster in the corner! Boo!" The monster yelled which made Yeosang snap and push the monster away, grabbing his black electric guitar and swinging it in the direction of the intruder.

"Yah! You psycho! You psycho! It's me, _Seonghwa_!" The older exclaimed, fearing for his life for a moment as the younger male lost it. Yeosang suddenly collapsed to the floor and in that moment Hongjoong and Yunho ran through the door, having heard the screams from the hallway. Hongjoong rushed to Yeosang on the floor and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him.

"Yeosang? Yeosang!"

"Aunt! Aunt, Seonhee, hurry! Aunt!" Yeosang kept repeating and thrashing around on the cold floor, Hongjoong still holding him close and trying to calm him down. Suddenly Yeosang lost consciousness and passed out in Hongjoong's arms, his breathing quickly becoming more stable again. Hongjoong looked over his shoulder to look at Seonghwa who was standing near the door, half his face painted blue and an unreadable expression on his face.

"I was just pulling a prank.." Seonghwa trailed off, rubbing the side of his face that was covered in blue. Yunho stepped closer to Hongjoong so he could help the older take care of Yeosang but not before giving Seonghwa a disappointed look.

**2017, December 25th, 4:24 PM**

Seonghwa, Yunho, Hongjoong and Mr. Park were seated in the resting area, the teacher in front of the three students, hands folded neatly on his lap.

"What happened? Tell me," Mr. Park simply said, not giving the students much room to disagree.

"He just passed out.." Seonghwa muttered with a nervous look on his face. The answer made Mr. Park slam his hand down on the soft leather material of the chair he was sitting on. "Do you think I'm stupid? Park Seonghwa, do you really think I'm that stupid?" Before Seonghwa could answer, Hongjoong started talking instead.

"Yeosang.. was on drugs"

"Drugs?" The answer caught the teacher's attention and made him face the second oldest student, to which Hongjoong nodded. Before Mr. Park could speak, Hongjoong pulled out a black envelope from his coat's inner pocket and placed it down on the table.

"And this.." Mr. Park took the envelope as Hongjoong spoke to open it and read the letter inside. "We all received this." Hongjoong finished off.

"Why are you telling me this just now?" Mr. Park looked at Hongjoong with a disappointed look on his face.

Wooyoung took a quick glance at the surveillance camera on his computer before closing it so the other students wouldn’t know about his little secret, seeing as he had witnessed what had happened with the teacher and knew Hongjoong was on his way. The before mentioned entered the room a few minutes later, telling Wooyoung he had told the teacher everything about the letter, but hadn't told Mr. Park about Wooyoung- though the younger already knew all this.

"You should just confess. You'll get caught eventually." Hongjoong said while seating himself down on Wooyoung's bed.

"I'm going to go home early in the morning." Wooyoung stated to close off the topic.

"But Hongjoong, do tell me, what did Park Seonghwa do for Angel to faint?" Wooyoung asked, his curiosity taking over him but Hongjoong didn't answer him, he kept his eyes on the snow peacefully falling outside Wooyoung’s window.

"Hey don't ignore me! Yah! I'm _the_ Jung Wooyoung." He said in a teasing voice, making himself sound like the most known person in all of Korea. This earned him a small smile from Hongjoong.

"Psycho Woo is nothing, now that I've spent a few days with you. You’re not as scary as you make yourself out to be." Hongjoong shot back at the blonde haired boy.

"The mad dragon of Susin High.. How did my pride end up getting hurt by you?" Wooyoung let out a chuckle at his own question.

"Wait.. How did you know?" Hongjoong asked. His face had gone from relaxed to suspicious in a matter of seconds as realisation hit him. Wooyoung hadn’t been there, so how did he know? Hongjoong rose up from the bed and walked towards Wooyoung, making the younger turn his head to look at him.

"How did you know Yeosang fainted? You can't see it from here. Yet you walk around as you please and the teacher doesn't see you either..." Wooyoung let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his neck.

"What’s going on Wooyoung?" The person in question licked his dry lips but gave up on hiding it from Hongjoong, so he opened his computer, showing him the surveillance tapes that were displayed on the screen.

"No way.. The security cameras. Did you hack into the camera system?" Hongjoong muttered in disbelief.

"Not _really_.." Wooyoung fiddled with his fingers. "This could get you expelled, Wooyoung."

"Therefore you have to keep it a secret." Wooyoung said in a stern voice and looked at his senior.

**2017, December 25th, 8:49 PM**

Soon after Hongjoong had left, Wooyoung started packing a few necessary things for his leave tonight. He went to the kitchen when no one was around and put some food in his bag, so he had something to eat for his trip. Wooyoung had crawled through the ventilation system to get out on the rooftop without getting noticed, seeing as that was the only way, and when he finally made it outside he stretched his sore limbs from being in those cramped spaces. When Wooyoung was back on the ground again, he had to pass the staff room. He peeked around the corner and saw Mr. Park talking on the phone, quickly stepping back into the shadows of the night so he wouldn't be discovered.

When Wooyoung saw the teacher had left he sneaked into the office, curiosity taking over him, leaving him wanting to have a look at the files the teacher had been looking through. As Wooyoung was about to look at the student record placed on the desk, he felt a hand on his shoulder, then he was spun around and thrown over the teacher's shoulder, back hitting the ground first. Mr. Park dragged the unconscious Wooyoung to an isolated detention room in the back of the staff room, locking him up. Wooyoung woke up after having been knocked out from the impact of hitting the ground. He wandered around the room, restless looking for any kind of escape, then he saw the teacher looking at him from the other side of the door.

"Ahh! I think my arm is broken!" Wooyoung cried out in a poor attempt to act when he saw the teacher, but not getting the response he had hoped for. _Oh well, it was worth the shot._

"You’re not fooling me, I taught you how to fall down with such a move. Plus, it was self-defence." Mr. Park spoke as he turned his back to the door.

"You slammed down a young boy who's just eight-teen." Wooyoung said, obviously not happy with the situation.

"Proper punishment will lead a child down the right path. That's my principle."

"You could've killed me just now." Wooyoung bickered back, not good at holding his tongue.

"Forget that, why were you hiding?"

"I wasn't hiding, I'm just shy. I'm more shy than I look." Wooyoung said with a shrug, trying hard to sell his very poor act. Mr. Park just chuckled at the locked up boy, knowing Wooyoung's true persona very well.

"What were you doing in the staff room earlier?" Wooyoung thought for a second before coming up with an excuse, moving closer to the small plexiglass window separating the two. "I went in there by accident. Our school is like a maze~" Mr. Park turned away from the boy and started walking away, but still listened to his protests.

"Hey! Where are you going? You can't just leave me here!"

"If you think over it, you'll find a better reason. See you then."

"Don't do this to me! This is illegal!" Wooyoung yelled in a last attempt to get himself freed.

"Think alone and find peace. Find peace in your heart." The teacher said. Wooyoung looked up and saw a banner over the door frame saying those exact words, he shook his head and looked back at Mr. Park.

"Ahhh, I come here quite often, but there needs to be a procedure for me to think alone. The principal's signature is a must. Argh, this is violating authority! This is a serious crime, death penalty at least!" Wooyoung was just talking for his sick aunt by now, trying every possible move to get out of there.

"You remained at school and trespassed into the staff room at prohibited times and you're already on punishment. You deserve to be punished. The principal will understand." With that Mr. Park left, leaving Wooyoung alone in the small detention room. He looked around and saw there was a small sink and toilet in one corner, a desk with papers on the long side of the room and lastly a bed on the other end. Mr. Park went to the school's security room which had all of the school’s cameras gathered in one place, he looked over the surveillance of the staff room and deleted the recordings which showed him and Wooyoung.

_Lee Tae Yong._

_Tae for 'Great'._

_Yong for 'Brave'._

_Born the 1st of July 1999._

_Father, Lee Byung Cheol._

_Mother, Lee Eun Jung._

_The youngest of two siblings._

_Middle school graduation results. 1st out of 712 students._

_High school entrance results. 89th out of 160 students._

_Allergic to strawberries._

_Dreams to be a doctor._

_That was the new student profile for Lee Taeyong._

_There are so many possible excuses._

_There are few valid reasons._

_If it's a crime, it's as heavy as a piece of straw._

_But the camel's back broke at one point._

_The boy who was allergic to strawberries._

_The boy who wanted to be a doctor died._

_His chance to appeal had disappeared._

_His time of prayer had passed._

_When we realised our crime, nothing was possible._

_It was pointless to pray for what we had done._

_But we had to pray._

**2017, December 26th, 11:42 AM**

Hongjoong had woken up a few hours prior and was now casually walking around the school's corridors. He found himself standing in front of a big window displaying a little garden covered in snow, the water in the fountain frozen from the cold weather. Outside on a bench sat Mingi while Jongho was walking around taking pictures of the scenery with his newly polished camera. That was until he stepped on some ice hidden beneath the snow, making him fall straight to his butt. Hongjoong had made his way out to the stairs that lead down to the garden upon seeing the maknae falling.

"Are you okay? You fell pretty hard." Hongjoong asked the maknae, not really sincerely worried, rather amused instead. Jongho stood back up, dusting the snow off his clothes while walking towards Hongjoong, holding his camera in his left hand.

"Take a look at my ass for me, will you? I may have gotten a new birthmark" Jongho responded teasingly to the older. Hongjoong shook his head, letting out an amused chuckle. He turned around to walk back inside, but he too stepped on some slippery snow, almost face planting onto the ground, but he steadied himself with the railing from the stairs before he could fall. Hongjoong looked in Jongho's direction hoping the younger hadn't seen it, unfortunately he had and he was now laughing at his senior as he approached him. Hongjoong and Jongho went back inside the school, enjoying the warmth that embraced them once inside.

"Why is it so slippery today?" Hongjoong wondered out loud, still annoyed and embarrassed from his little stunt.

"The snow melted slightly yesterday and has frozen over again now, duh." The maknae said, giving Hongjoong the most obvious answer to his question. "I'm agile, so I didn't get hurt much, but the doctor hurt his arm earlier today.." Jongho said.

"What?" Hongjoong asked and stopped in his tracks, confused by the new information about the doctor.

"He can barely move." The youngest replied which made Hongjoong start walking up the stairs, heading god knows where after hearing the maknae's response.

"Ouch.. I hope both sides of my butt are okay.." The maknae muttered as he limped his way up the stairs, following his senior.

Dr. Lee sat in the nursing room where he would spend most of his time. He tried lifting his left arm slightly but groaned in pain and lowered it again. Hongjoong walked through the door to the nursing room without knocking seconds later, heading straight for the doctor with a look of worry on his face.

"Are you hurt?"

"Yeah.. I think I need to put it in a sling." The doctor answered the worried student. Hongjoong walked to a cabinet in the back of the room, finding a sling for the doctor to put on. He helped the doctor put it on, making sure to be careful so he didn't end up hurting him more.

"What about breakfast?" Hongjoong asked concerned.

"I'll eat later." Dr. Lee said with a small smile on his lips, reassuring the young boy in front of him that he would be okay. Hongjoong nodded, bowing slightly before walking back to the door to leave.

"Perhaps.. Have you seen our teacher?" Hongjoong asked turning back to Dr. Lee, hand on the door handle.

"No.. Not since last night." Dr. Lee answered confused. Hongjoong saw something flash cross the doctor's face for a moment, but it disappeared just as fast again. The younger boy nodded at the doctor, thinking he must just have imagined it, then he left the room without another word.

All the students were gathered in the cafeteria when Hongjoong entered as the last one, everyone eating their breakfast already. Hongjoong asked his fellow students where the teacher was while making his way over to the free chair, which was between Mingi and Jongho. Yunho told him that the teacher wasn’t there yet, which made Hongjoong question whether their teacher was still in bed or something. Hongjoong sat down on his chair and started eating the breakfast that had been prepared for him without another word.

"Maybe he slipped too and can't move." Jongho said, remembering his own little _Bambi On Ice_ moment from earlier.

"Or the monster in the corner ate him.." Yeosang spoke up for the first time today, sounding more bored than usual.

Seonghwa glared at Yeosang before speaking up too. "Do you think he figured something out?"

"Are you worried?" Mingi retorted, looking at Seonghwa, annoyance clear on his face.

"Not as much as you." Seonghwa glared back at Mingi while speaking before he looked down at his own breakfast. "How many nights until school starts again?" Seonghwa wondered out loud but it mainly went unnoticed by the others.

"Will we still be _alive_ by then?" Yeosang asked, having caught on to Seonghwa’s question while standing up as he had finished his breakfast already. Seonghwa looked up at the younger boy.

"Yah, Angel. I don't believe in hitting people during meals, cooperate with me. You were on the floor crying your eyes out last night.. _'Help me, Mum. Save me, Aunt!'."_ Seonghwa mocked, imitating what Yeosang had been saying the previous night in a provocative voice.

"What?" Yeosang turned around to look at Seonghwa, a confused look on his face.

"Why did you call all for your aunt and uncle?"

"What did I say last night?" Yeosang kept looking at Seonghwa.

"You cried for Aunt Seonhee and Uncle Chulsu." Seonghwa explained slowly, making sure the younger caught every word he said. Yeosang felt a flame ignite inside of him, he threw the bowl he had had his breakfast in towards Seonghwa, missing the older’s face only by a few centimetres. Yeosang jumped up on the long table everyone had been sitting at to get to Seonghwa. Hongjoong, Yunho & Jongho had now moved to the open kitchen area to clean the dishes, but turned back when they heard the glass bowl hit the floor and break into pieces. Yeosang was on the table and before Seonghwa could react, Yeosang jumped at him, making Seonghwa fall backwards on his chair, Yeosang on top of him throwing punches at the older. Hongjoong rushed over to the two fighting guys and quickly broke them up with Yunho's help.

"Let me go! I'm going to kill that asshole. Let me go!" Seonghwa yelled, trying to get past Hongjoong to Yeosang, anger was filling his system making him not think rationally. Not like that was something news breaking.

"Park Seonghwa!" Hongjoong was yelling now too, trying to get the oldest's attention.

"That psycho hit me. You didn't do anything when he hit me. Let go off me!" Seonghwa snarled back. Hongjoong let go of Seonghwa and walked up to Yeosang, asking him what the hell was going on.

"He lied." The reply was simple, but Yeosang's voice held so many emotions at once.

"Do you even know who I am right now?" Seonghwa spat, still beyond pissed the younger had attacked him out of nowhere.

"Park. Seong. Hwa. The. _Plague_." Yeosang spat back at him, before making his way up the stairs to exit the cafeteria.

"He's fucking crazy! His mind keeps coming and going." Seonghwa was walking back and forth in the cafeteria after Yeosang had left, still filled with anger and the need to let everyone know his thoughts towards Yeosang. "He should've been expelled. He's even on drugs at this hour."

Hongjoong stood on top of the stairs from the cafeteria, watching the distance between him and Yeosang's back getting bigger and bigger. San had made his way up the stairs too, standing a couple of feet behind Hongjoong.

"Is he on drugs?" San simply asked, referring to what Seonghwa has said.

"No, I threw them all out. He's a little different too when he's drugged out." Hongjoong was still watching Yeosang leave, not turning around to face San.

"Can you tell the difference?" This however made Hongjoong turn around to look at the school's number one honour student.

"Yeah. A little bit.."

"Then other people must've known too."

"Others? Who?"

"The teachers. You said Yeosang had a fit after taking drugs at the school trip, the teacher must have seen that." San said, looking at Hongjoong.

**2017, December 26th, 5:48 PM**

Hongjoong had been looking around the school trying to find Mr. Park, but there were no signs of the teacher. He turned around from the locked door to the security room to see Yunho making his way towards him.

"He's not here." Yunho said; he had been looking for their teacher too, but without succeeding.

"Where has he gone..?" Hongjoong questioned, mostly to himself.

"Is our school this big? I haven't seen Wooyoung around either.." Yunho looked at Hongjoong hoping the older would have all the answers.

"Ahh, Wooyoung said last night he'd go home early in the morning, he must have left by now."

"I don't think so.. I didn't see any footsteps in the snow outside. The teacher and Wooyoung are both still here.."

Speaking of the devil, Wooyoung was sitting on the floor in front of the door that had him trapped in the detention room in the back of the staff room. He had found a screwdriver which he was trying to pry the door open with but it wasn't working in his favour. Wooyoung let out a groan at the failed attempt, standing back on his feet before throwing the screwdriver god knows where in pure anger. He knocked off various papers that were placed on a small table and kicked the door a couple of times before collapsing on the bed that was placed in the corner of the room with a deep sigh.

Hongjoong walked into the dorm he knew Wooyoung had been hiding in while staying back at school, Yunho right behind him. The older male called out Wooyoung's name, but nothing. The room was empty beside the computer still placed on Wooyoung's desk. Hongjoong sat down at the desk and opened the computer to see the program with the surveillance cameras. Yunho looked confused between Hongjoong and the computer, before asking what that was.

"He's dangerous, isn't he?" Hongjoong responded with a teasing voice.

"When did you find out about him watching us?"

Hongjoong simply told him yesterday before continuing to explain to Yunho that if you put the program on auto, it would show the surveillance from where there were movements, which Hongjoong did the same moment. On the computer appeared various smaller screens, one showing Dr. Lee in the nursing room, another showing Mingi walking around the hallways, but what caught their attention was the screen showing Wooyoung waving his hands frantically at the camera while jumping around in the detention room he had been locked up in.

"Where's that?" Yunho asked, not recognising the room. Hongjoong's eyes widened for a second before he quickly got to his feet without answering Yunho, simply motioning for the younger to follow him. Hongjoong led the way to the room he recognised as the detention room in the back of the staff room. They quickly made their way inside as it wasn’t locked, and saw Wooyoung standing on the other side of the door. Wooyoung ran to the door, placing his hands on the glass, a relieved look on his face.

"Kim Hongjoong! I'm so happy to see you, oh my fucking god!"

"Why are you in there?"

"How would I know? He knocked me out as soon as he saw me and left me here." Wooyoung whined to the older, stomping his foot against the concrete floor.

"The teacher?"

"Yees! Yah, take a look at this." Wooyoung turned his back to the door, lifting his shirt to reveal a huge blue and purple bruise on the left side of his upper back.

"If it was anyone else, they would've been dead now. I thought my heart was going to burst through my chest." Wooyoung spoke before pulling his shirt back down, covering his skin again. He turned back to look at Hongjoong and Yunho.

"How can such violation of human rights occur in an OECD country? Now, open this door for me, will you?~" Wooyoung complained loudly at first, but had a sweet smile on his face when he said the last sentence.

"We know what the teacher's like. Tell us the truth. What did you do?" Hongjoong wasn't falling for Wooyoung's act, he knew how sly the younger could be.

"I didn't do anything! Ask him yourself. But before that, please open this for me~" The sweet smile yet again returned to Wooyoung's face in an attempt to convince Hongjoong to open the door for him.

"We haven't seen him."

"Maybe he went out?"

"In this snow?" Hongjoong raised an eyebrow at the younger.

"He's dumb and strong.." Wooyoung trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

"There were no footsteps outside." Yunho spoke up for the first time since they had arrived. Hongjoong had turned his attention to Yunho when he spoke up, but he turned his head back to look at Wooyoung when he spoke himself.

"Tell us what you did last night."

Wooyoung made a frustrated grimace, looking at Hongjoong then said in a now annoyed voice. "I swear..-" Wooyoung didn't finish the sentence, just simply trailed off and let out a sigh. He shook his head and started walking around the room lazily before speaking again. He now had a smirk on his face but Yunho and Hongjoong couldn't see that since his back was turned in their direction.

"I didn't do shit. But I think he was up to something.." Wooyoung turned back to look at the two elders on the other side of the door.

"Don't you want to know what that was?" Wooyoung still had a smirk playing on his lips and a glimpse in his eyes as he nodded his head towards the lock on the door, a sign to let him out then he'd help them. Hongjoong looked him straight in the eyes then turned around to leave, which made Wooyoung go rambling again.

"Yah! You can't leave me here! Kim Hongjoong! Buddy! At least leave me some food then, I only had a piece of bread yesterday!" Wooyoung yelled, placing his hands on the glass of the door again. However Hongjoong ignored him and left with Yunho, leaving Wooyoung still locked up in the detention room. Wooyoung had a defeated look on his face as he went back to sit on the bed holding his stomach.

"Are they going to starve me to death..?" Wooyoung asked himself with a pout on his lips.

After finding the school’s attention seeker, Hongjoong and Yunho had gone back to Wooyoung's room to look at the surveillance videos from yesterday. There were videos of the teacher talking on the phone and some of him just going around the staff room, but there was no trace of any video where the teacher had knocked out Wooyoung.

"Do you think Wooyoung lied?" Yunho asked.

"I don't see that scene.. it's strange. The cameras only record when there's movement and the teacher left the staff room at 10:02 p.m. Where did he go after that? He disappeared.. or someone erased the data that was recorded." Hongjoong finished off without looking at Yunho, realising the other possibility.

**2017, December 27th, 12:04 PM**

San had made his way towards Hongjoong's room, stopping in front of his door then proceeded to knock on it, calling out Hongjoong's name. The same moment San lowered his hand from the door, Hongjoong and Yunho walked around the corner that leads up to the room, both of them noticing San standing there in front of his room. Hongjoong cleared his throat to catch the top student’s attention, making San turn around to look at them, an emotionless expression on his face.

"I want to talk to you." San said.

"I want to talk to you too." Hongjoong replied shortly. The three of them started walking along the hallway together; Hongjoong and San side by side while Yunho was trailing behind them.

"Wooyoung is at the school, I think something happened." Hongjoong said as they walked together.

"Really?" San asked, not sounding the least bit surprised.

Hongjoong, Yunho and San had made their way to where Wooyoung was locked up. The two oldest were the first ones to enter and make eye contact with Wooyoung, who was looking at them through the glass of the door. Wooyoung's eyes however soon shifted to look at the third person that entered, _Choi San_. Wooyoung slowly backed a little away from the door when he saw him. San looked at Wooyoung for a few seconds before turning around and leaving with the two others, making it a very short visit. 

"So the teacher locked Wooyoung in the detention room and then disappeared?"

"I told him about the letters just before that.. What do you want to show me though?" Hongjoong asked, still following San as they made their way into the school's storage room, where book after book, file after file was stacked up. San walked to a shelf and pulled out a white book, giving it to Hongjoong.

"Here."

"I saw this last time I was here." Hongjoong said looking back at Yunho, remembering the day they had been searching through the resumes of students to find anyone that might have fit the ' _Blue Face_ ' criteria.

"Look at the teacher’s section, the employment qualifications." San said while looking at Hongjoong. The latter opened the book to find the teacher’s section, looking at the basic information written about each teacher.

"Our school pays a high salary, but the standards are high. Five years minimum experience, and they must speak a foreign language. Most of them have a doctorate, however the P.E teacher doesn't fit any of those criterias." San kept talking as Hongjoong was looking at the book in his hands, Yunho peeking over his shoulder.

"Because he played sports? The art teacher came right after graduating university too?" Hongjoong couldn't see where San was going with this.

"Art and music teachers are temporary staff, the P.E teacher is permanent since the second half of last year. In other words, not long after the school trip our unqualified P.E teacher became a permanent employee. Do you know who recommended him? Kang YoungBin." San said, but Hongjoong was still confused so he asked San who that was.

"The school’s donor president and Yeosang's father." San said.

**2017, December 27th, 1:17 PM**

"Yeosang's father?" Yunho questioned the males before him. The three of them were sitting in the resting area of the male’s dormitory after having left the storage room.

"How do you think the story goes?" San asked, crossing his legs before speaking again.

"The P.E teacher knew Yeosang took drugs on the trip."

"I heard he was the one who came back with Yeosang..." Yunho said, looking over at San.

"We need to find him." San stated.

"We've looked everywhere.." Hongjoong spoke up, sounding rather defeated. San stood up gaining the two others’ attention.

"There's one place left. The teacher's dormitory."

"That's off limits!" Hongjoong exclaimed, not liking the idea of going into the teacher's dorm one bit.

"We'll make up an excuse. I'll go alone if I have to." San was determined as he spoke, wanting to solve this mess as fast as possible so they could get back to focusing on the letter. San started walking towards the entrance of the teachers dormitory, Yunho and Hongjoong following close behind him. They stopped in front of the door which separated students from the teachers’ personal space.

"Is it possible?" Hongjoong asked San concerned.

"In theory, yes. If electricity of over 30.000 volts flow through, the door lock becomes faulty." San said standing in front of said door. He looked over his shoulder and told the two boys to step back a bit before putting the taser against the electronic lock on the door. An alarm went off, but stopped the moment San pulled down the handle, opening the door. All of them went inside and not long after they had entered Seonghwa appeared at the door they had just opened. He looked around a bit, lifting his hand to his lips, biting a nail nervously.

The three boys looked around the rooms in a search for the Mr. Park’s room. San was the one to find it few minutes later, seeing a framed picture on the wall of Mr. Park wearing a black suit and hair styled back, indicating that it was his room. San walked inside and looked around for a while before he opened a drawer and found a very familiar black envelope.

"I gave him that yesterday," Hongjoong said as he entered the room seeing the envelope in San's hands.

"What about this one?" Seonghwa asked out of nowhere, leaning against the doorframe to the teacher's room, holding a thick book in his hand where a black envelope was sticking out like a page marker. The two looked at the newcomer before San spoke up.

"He received one too."

" _You silenced me._ " Hongjoong mumbled to himself, guessing that line from the letter was referring to the teacher.

"When you talked to him about Yeosang and the letter, he remembered. He remembered who was with Yeosang at the school trip and who the _monster_ is." San said putting the pieces of information they had gathered together.

"He called someone to confirm it and Wooyoung saw him..-" Hongjoong stopped as realisation washed over his face when he continued San's theory.

"-So he locked Wooyoung up.." Hongjoong finished. San let out a chuckle while having a slight smile on his face, this made Hongjoong turn to him, disbelief on his face.

"Why are you smiling?"

"It's amusing," San simply said, his smile slowly disappearing again.

"Amusing? You think this situation is amusing?" Hongjoong couldn't hide his disbelief at the younger's statement.

"Yes. Don't you find it amusing?" With that, San left Mr. Park's room not caring about Hongjoong's answer.

San, Hongjoong, Yunho and Seonghwa entered the corridor to the detention room where Wooyoung was still sitting on the bed. Wooyoung didn't even bother to stand up, he kept himself seated on the bed, a scoff leaving his lips.

"What? A group visit this time? Pay me for the group tour." He said sarcastically, while stretching his hand out in front of him, like he was asking for the money. Hongjoong ignored Wooyoung's comment and asked him what mattered at the moment.

"Was Mr. Park calling someone last night?"

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"I don't know.. Anyway, it was an important call. It was too late for a chat. And.. Doesn't this scene seem familiar?" Wooyoung asked looking up at Hongjoong who was standing on the other side of the door, looking through the glass.

"What?"

"Think about it." Wooyoung said looking back down on the floor with a small smirk on his lips. Seonghwa was standing behind all of them but spoke up loud enough for Wooyoung to hear.

" _The Silence of the Lambs._ " The sound of Seonghwa’s voice made Wooyoung look up, a mischievous smile on his face. "Exactly handsome!" He said before laughing to himself.

"How can you say that?" Hongjoong asked not having Wooyoung's jokes right now.

"It's fun, isn't it? When he was on the phone, next to him... The student record was open." Wooyoung said while standing up and walking to the door, the smirk never leaving his face.

"Did you see it?" To answer Hongjoong's question Wooyoung nodded his head yes.

"Are you sure?" Yunho asked for good measure. Again, Wooyoung just nodded his head yes.

"Is it one of us?" Seonghwa asked, half worried his name would be the answer. Wooyoung snorted before laughing to himself.

"Who was it?" Hongjoong asked firmly, desperately just wanting the answer, but Wooyoung was still just laughing to himself, finding the situation amusing.

"What do you want?" San asked in a serious yet calm voice, walking closer to the door as he had been standing quietly at the back. This made Wooyoung stop laughing, his smile left his face and he walked back over to the door to point down towards the lock, gesturing for the free males outside to unlock it so he could get out.

"No!" Seonghwa interrupted immediately, not liking the idea of Wooyoung roaming around freely and even worse when the teacher was nowhere to be found. Wooyoung clicked his tongue, shaking his head at the older.

"Seonghwa.. Park Seonghwa.. Think before you speak." Wooyoung told the older in a provocative voice.

"Tell me the name you saw, then I'll open the door." Hongjoong interrupted their bickering, being one of the few that kept his head straight.

"Do you think I'm a fool?" Wooyoung wondered out loud as he went back to lay on the bed, resting his arms behind his head. "Do what you want, but my memories become faint as time passes. I may forget the name."

Seonghwa walked up to Hongjoong, looking serious as ever. "Wait until the teacher returns."

"If he doesn't show up? Then what?" Hongjoong asked.

"Another teacher will come."

"You want to wait until then?"

"No matter what, we can't let him out." Seonghwa said walking to the side, gaining everyone's attention. "Think about it. He could have something to do with the letter, or he could be an accomplice. Then he would have a motive to hurt the teacher. The last person to see him is the major suspect."

"The teacher practices judo. Jung Wooyoung is no match for him." Hongjoong states trying to knock some sense into Seonghwa's thick skull.

"That doesn't matter if someone hits you on the head!" Seonghwa was yelling now, obviously frustrated with Hongjoong's answer.

"Anyways, there are four of us."

"Have you seen Wooyoung fight? When he gets mad, he's Satan himself. The four of us? 40 of us would be no match for him." Seonghwa over exaggerated, trying to get his point across.

"Let's go with the majority. It's better than talking about the same thing repeatedly. Who's for opening the door?" San asked, breaking up the banter between the two oldest while raising his hand to show he voted for opening the door, Hongjoong raised his hand as well. Seonghwa walked over to Yunho, standing threateningly close to the younger. He looked Yunho in the eyes as telling him not to agree with the others, but Yunho slowly raised his hand too while trying to avoid Seonghwa's fierce gaze. Hongjoong turned to unlock the door but before he could do it Seonghwa grabbed his arm and turned him away.

"Hey! Wait a minute! We should ask the others too! Angel, Jongho and Mingi." Seonghwa said, desperately trying to convince the others not to open the door for Wooyoung.

"Just give up." San said sternly. Seonghwa took a quick glance at him, while Hongjoong turned back and unlocked the door. Wooyoung took his jacket from the bed and stood up making his way to the door.

"We're all dead now." Seonghwa whispered under his breath, before standing in a corner of the room, not wanting to be near Wooyoung.

"Whose name did you see?" Hongjoong asked Wooyoung when the latter had made his way outside of the detention room. Wooyoung stopped for a moment before turning back around to see Seonghwa pressed into a corner, back turned to Wooyoung. Ignoring Hongjoong's question, the younger walked over to Seonghwa and stood almost pressed against his back before screaming into his ear, making Seonghwa jump and wrap his arms around himself as some sort of shield to protect himself from Wooyoung. The reaction made Wooyoung laugh and then he walked back to the staff's room, Hongjoong hot on his trail, telling him to keep his promise about telling them the name he had seen. Yunho and San followed the two, while Seonghwa was still in his corner.

"Promise? You expect that _psycho_ to keep his promise?" Seonghwa muttered to himself after everyone had left.

All of them had left the detention room Wooyoung had been locked up in for the last 12 hours, and they were now heading for the staff room when Hongjoong walked closer to Wooyoung.

"Wooyoung! Whose name did you see?!"

"I didn't see any name." Answered the blonde haired male. This made Hongjoong stop mid walk, disbelief washed over his face. He was speechless for a moment, but before he could say anything Wooyoung continued. "Calm down and follow me." Wooyoung rolled his eyes, not needing to see Hongjoong’s face to know what look he was giving him. Wooyoung walked into the office of the staff room with Hongjoong behind him. He opened a drawer, where a thick black book was and picked it up, flipping through the pages.

"What are you looking for?" Hongjoong asked, annoyance present in his voice. Wooyoung didn't answer and just kept looking through the book with all the students profiles.

"Kim Hongjoong, that stupid fool. Why would he trust him..?" Seonghwa muttered, he had finally left his corner outside the detention room to join the others in the room next door. Hongjoong let out a deep sigh and was about to say something when Wooyoung turned to him, handing him the book.

" _Him_."

Hongjoong took a quick glance at the profile of a student before looking back up at Wooyoung asking him whether he was sure, to which Wooyoung nodded and proceeded to point out a spot of spilled food on the upper left side of the page.

"I was eating cream bread last night. Are we good then?"

"What will you do now?" Hongjoong asked.

"I'm going home before the teacher returns." Wooyoung placed a hand on Hongjoong's shoulder giving it a rough pat before making his way to the door. San walked over to Hongjoong to have a look at the profile in his hands.

"Lee Taeyong? 1st year, class 1. Same as me." San said looking down at Hongjoong in front of him.

"Do you remember him?" Hongjoong questioned.

San shook his head. "Not at all."

"As expected of Choi San!" Wooyoung said, he hadn't left the room just yet. He turned around to look at San for a moment before talking again.

"Don't die on me."

"What?" San didn't get Wooyoung's thoughts behind the words, so he just let it slide as the younger left the room. Seonghwa and Yunho were now looking at the profile in Hongjoong's hands too.

"Ahh.. _that_ weirdo Taeyong," Seonghwa exclaimed.

"The one who was said to be gay?" Hongjoong wondered looking at Seonghwa.

"Hmm?" San hummed confused as he hadn't heard the rumour, or simply didn't care about it so he ended up forgetting.

"There was a rumour that he hit on a guy.. I think the guy was Yeosang..?" Hongjoong said, not sure if he was remembering correctly.

Seonghwa and San had started looking through some of the other papers in the office for any other clues while Hongjoong was walking around still reading the information about Lee Taeyong.

"He took a leave in January.." Hongjoong read out loud.

"January? What date?" San asked, looking in the elder’s direction.

"The third."

"Right after the winter vacation?" San asked, confused. Seonghwa walked up to stand beside Hongjoong again.

"Was the freak ill or something?" Seonghwa asked. Hongjoong turned his head to look at Seonghwa before asking if it was Seonghwa that had given him that nickname.

"That's what everyone called him." Seonghwa answered with a scoff, almost sounding offended.

San was looking through the teacher’s computer after having broken down the password easily. He clicked on a file titled ' _2010 Winter Break Log_ ' opening up a document.

"What are you looking at?" Yunho questioned, seeing San working on the computer.

"Last winter breaks’ records." San answered. The answer made Hongjoong turn his attention to San, curios of what the younger had found.

"The teacher said two students remained last year, do you know who it was? Kim Dongyoung and _Lee Taeyong._ " San said, straightening himself up again after having been bent over in front of the computer.

"Lee Taeyong?" Seonghwa's attention was now on the school's genius.

San turned to look at Seonghwa. "Look at the records. Last December the 25th at 3:23 a.m an ambulance came here."

"Does it say why?" Seonghwa asked to which San shook his head as a no. Hongjoong was still looking through the student records when something caught his eye. His breath hitched before he spoke up, lowering the book.

"January 29th, Lee Taeyong _deceased_." Everyone turned to look at Hongjoong and Seonghwa swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, silence filling the room until Hongjoong broke it, speaking again.

" _After 8 days, walk up the path by the zelkova tree. Under the clock tower, you will see someone dead_.. He meant that he would die." Hongjoong quote what had been written at the end of the letter with the listed sins. He turned around to look at the guys standing behind him.

"We didn't receive a letter. It was a _suicide note_. Last year's suicide note."

"Then who sent it?" Seonghwa asked.

"It must be his closest friend." San reasoned. Hongjoong looked through the profile, seeing Choi Jongho written as Lee Taeyong's best friend.

Seonghwa, Yunho and Hongjoong were seated on a bench in the hallway while San was walking back and forth in front of them.

"Revenge for a friend's death. It makes sense." Seonghwa said while placing his hands behind him, leaning back slightly.

"But it happened last year, why now?" Hongjoong said, his hands folded on top of his knees.

"To wait until the school was empty." San reasoned, still walking back and forth, his arms crossed over his torso.

"Why not tell the school or his parents?" Hongjoong asked no one in particular.

"What if the principal knew? The donor president is involved and an unqualified teacher became permanent." San stated.

"So the Camera Dude decided to get revenge himself." Seonghwa said while looking at Hongjoong.

"But why did Choi Jongho send a letter? What does he want from us?" San questioned and stopped walking to look at the three guys seated on the bench.

" _Someone died because of you._ He wants to make it known. He's waiting to see how we react." Hongjoong said, feeling like they had finally reached some kind of conclusion.

"He's recording it all on camera. We've reached our conclusion!" Seonghwa said determined, clapping his hands before standing up.

"But something's strange.." Hongjoong broke Seonghwa's excitement and San agreed with a quiet _'mhmm'._ Seonghwa looked at them.

"Why can't you make up your mind? Just go and ask him. If we hit him a few times, we'll find out the truth." The oldest said, obviously frustrated with his fellow students.

"You don't know much about Jongho." San said, looking at Seonghwa with a neutral expression.

"What?" Seonghwa turned his attention to San who was beside him.

"I've seen Jongho smash his camera in the past. He fought against Wooyoung back then, although he got beaten afterwards. Anyways, Seonghwa. You can't even look Wooyoung in the eyes." San finished talking and Seonghwa let out a chuckle turning his head to the side before looking back at San to speak.

"Me?" Seonghwa asked but San ignored him, simply walking past him.

"Where are you going?" Hongjoong asked, seeing the younger was leaving.

"To think for a while." San said as he was leaving. Seonghwa sat back down beside Hongjoong letting out a scoff at Sans attitude.

"What's with Choi San? Does he think the Camera Dude is above me?" Seonghwa asked, looking at Hongjoong for an answer. Hongjoong ignored his elder and stood up then walked away. Seonghwa moved closer to Yunho placing a hand on his knee as Yunho was about to stand up too.

"I left him alone because he's smart, but he's so clueless. Should I hit him a few times to teach him a lesson?" Seonghwa asked, not really making it sound like a question but rather a statement. Yunho stood up and left as well, not wanting to listen to Seonghwa's bullshit any longer.

Hongjoong was sitting in front of Wooyoung's computer which he had left behind in his room, not needing unnecessary things to carry on his journey through the snow. Hongjoong looked at the live footage shown on the screen and Yunho stood beside him, watching too. They saw San walk through the front entrance to the school, heading outside, his slightly long black hair moving from the light breeze, exposing the blonde dyed hair underneath, his body was covered in a long black coat along with his black jeans.

"What's San thinking about?" Yunho mumbled beside Hongjoong.

"How would I know?" Hongjoong snapped back at the younger, his face fell realising he had raised his voice at Yunho, he mumbled out a quiet but sincere ' _sorry_ '.

"When I look at Choi San I think I can understand Wooyoung.." Hongjoong trailed off.

**2017, December 27th, 3:18 PM**

San was walking outside in the snow. He was headed towards the clock tower where the others had found Mingi the other day. He looked at the clock tower for a moment before turning around to look in the direction of the school. He knelt down beside the clock tower, removing some snow from a part of the clock tower that was placed on the ground. It was a stone where the school's name was engraved along with the name of the school's donor, Yeosang's father and a date lowest to the ground.

Jongho heard beeping from the microwave indicating his hot chocolate was done, when he opened the cover to reach for his warm drink, Seonghwa's hand grabbed it instead. Seonghwa took a quick glance at the younger. "Thanks~" He said with no sincerity in his voice, making Jongho glare at him.

"Don't glare at me. We're friends." Seonghwa smirked.

"Since when were we friends? _Ohh I see,_ that's how it is. Do me a favour, don't tell the others, it's embarrassing." Jongho said in a sarcastic voice, not meaning a single word he just spoke. That made Seonghwa chuckle.

"Friend.. that's a nice term. _Friend_ . So Jongho, tell me. Who are your _closest_ friends?" Seonghwa asked. Jongho didn't answer and just kept glaring at the older. Seonghwa sucked in a breath before placing his free arm around Jongho's shoulders, the other holding the hot chocolate he had stolen from the poor boy moments ago. Seonghwa started walking slowly with his arm still around Jongho's shoulder, pulling the younger with him.

"If he's hurt, you feel pain. If he's been hit, you want to hit those who beat him. If he _dies,_ you want to get his _revenge_ -" Before Seonghwa could continue, Hongjoong was walking down the stairs towards them, calling out Seonghwa's name. The oldest rolled his eyes and removed his arm from Jongho, looking up at Hongjoong who was standing halfway down the stairs.

"I want to talk to you." Hongjoong said. Seonghwa followed him back upstairs to the floor above the cafeteria.

"We're just going to keep watch on him." Hongjoong said sternly once Jongho was out of reach.

"Until when? Until he's old and dead?"

"What will you do if you talk to him now? We have nothing on him beside him being close to Taeyong." Hongjoong said as he obviously didn't trust Seonghwa’s judgement abilities as he often relied on violence instead of actually using his peanut sized brain.

"If something happens, you take responsibility then." With that Seonghwa left and Hongjoong went back to his room where he knew Yunho was watching the surveillance cameras. When Hongjoong entered the room, Yunho was watching the surveillance from the school's recording studio where Jongho had just taken out two photo albums from a shelf, Yunho quickly motioned for Hongjoong to come and see what he was seeing.

Wooyoung was walking uphill, snow covering the ground and reaching half way up his shins, making it difficult to walk. On his back he was carrying his skis in a black case. When he finally reached the top of the hill he had walked up, he looked around the view, enjoying it for a moment. He put the bag down and put his ski gear on, pulling a black beanie over his head along with skiing glasses. Wooyoung let out a scream of excitement as he started skiing down the hill enjoying the adrenaline taking over his body and mind.

Yunho and Hongjoong had made their way into the recording studio after they had seen Jongho leave on the surveillance. They were looking through the various books and albums placed in there, searching for anything useful. Hongjoong pulled out a photography album, when he opened it he was met with the sight of various pictures of Mingi. He turned page after page, seeing all the pictures were of Mingi.

Mingi was currently in the nursing room looking after Dr. Lee as he had been getting a fever overnight. Mingi heard a small bump behind him and turned around to see Jongho standing outside the nursing room's window, camera in his hands as always.

"Choi Jongho!" Mingi said loudly when he saw the youngest outside the room. The maknae walked inside the room, heading over to Mingi. He took a glance at the doctor laying on the bed, sweat forming on his forehead and neck from the fever.

"Does he have a fever?" Jongho asked, still looking at the doctor. Mingi told him yes and said he should go get Hongjoong. Jongho left the nursing room and walked back to the males’ dormitory. He made his way to Hongjoong's door, knocking twice before entering.

"Mingi wants to see you." Jongho barely managed to finish speaking before hearing the door being slammed closed behind him. He turned around to see who had closed the door as it wasn't him and there stood Seonghwa, guarding the door so he couldn't escape. Hongjoong sat on his bed, legs crossed while Yunho stood near the window. Jongho turned his attention back to the two males in front of him.

"I feel locked up for some reason.." Jongho said, trying to bring a little humour into the situation. Hongjoong stood up and started speaking.

"We know who wrote the letter."

"Really? Who?" Jongho asked excitedly at his fellow students' discovery.

" _Lee Taeyong_." Jongho's face fell at the name escaping the elder’s lips and he looked at Hongjoong who was looking back at him.

"His nickname was 'Pervert Tae' do you remember?" Hongjoong asked. Jongho took a deep breath but before he could answer Seonghwa spoke up.

"Of course he remembers, it was his best friend." Jongho looked over his shoulder to look at Seonghwa.

"Who says we were friends?"

"Lee Taeyong! He already confessed. He wrote about his passionate friendship with you."

"Don't lie."

"Evidence number one, it's in the student records. Read it when you get the chance. So, here's how the story goes. Lee Taeyong was very quiet and couldn't fit in at school. He got hurt by the innocent jokes his peers played on him. Every time that happened, he would've told you, his only friend. You did your best to comfort him, but unfortunately... Taeyong _died_." Seonghwa finished his speech, he was now standing in front of Jongho instead of back at the door. Jongho lifted his head when Seonghwa finished talking, a surprised look on his face.

"What?" Jongho asked bewildered.

"Come on, you know about it." Jongho looked past Seonghwa to Hongjoong who was standing beside Yunho.

"Did Taeyong _die_?" Jongho asked Hongjoong, still not trusting Seonghwa's words since half the bullshit he said was lies, but Hongjoong nodded indicating Seonghwa was in fact telling the truth for once. Jongho sat on Hongjoong's bed, not knowing how to react to the new information.

"Stop acting shocked. Just confess already." Seonghwa said, not believing Jongho's act of shock one bit.

"Confess to what?" Jongho questioned, looking towards Seonghwa but not at him.

"You sent the letters to get your friends revenge."

"Park Seonghwa! You don't know anything about friendship, do you? Friends are those who have been close for years. Equals with no feelings of sympathy or pity."

"Stop talking nonsense."

"You read about his friends, why not look through my records? See who I wrote down as the person I dislike the most. Don't worry, you were a strong candidate too, it was very close." Jongho shot a look at Seonghwa.

"You didn't like Taeyong?" Yunho asked, speaking up for the first time since Jongho had entered the room.

"Of course I didn't like him. He was the only one who treated me like a disabled person... ' _Is it tough? Be strong. You're really great_ .' That sounded like ' _You're a first tier disabled person. Be strong, deaf boy_ '. What was worse was that he felt superior to me. I know everyone else did too, but no one made it as obvious as he did." Jongho said, remembering the words he had heard when Taeyong was around.

"Yaaah.. Cold hearted Cameraman Choi. Even so.. You're being a little harsh on a dead person." Seonghwa piped up from where he had now seated himself on Hongjoong's office chair.

"You followed me around and hit me, but I still preferred you over him." Jongho said, he turned to look at Seonghwa so the older could see he really meant it.

"Well, why did you hang out with him then?" Yunho asked.

Jongho turned to face Yunho. "He kept following me around until I told him to get lost."

"We have another piece of evidence though. Evidence number two." Seonghwa stood up and walked over to Hongjoong's desk, picking up a photo album- he opened it and flipped through a couple of pages, all of them having pictures of Mingi, he then proceeded to speak.

"Even my mum didn't take this many pictures of me. Lee Taeyong stalked Mingi, didn't he? Goodness! Friends have the same hobbies. If you have the same hobbies, your friendship grows stronger. Pervert Taeyong and Pervert Jongho. Bravo!" Seonghwa said, clapping his hands at the last statement while still holding the book.

"Now, confess your crime and let's settle this." Seonghwa finished off, believing he had won this battle, but Jongho talked back to him in a stern and determined voice.

"Lee Taeyong was NOT my friend. These photos have nothing to do with the letters."

"This is why I hate human rights. We have the evidence right here and he still lies! Let me beat him up, is that okay?" Seonghwa groaned, directing the question to Hongjoong.

"If I'm on the suspect list for taking pictures of Mingi, you should be right next to me. Often when I took photos of him.. very often, you were around too. The. Plague." Jongho defended himself. Seonghwa grabbed his collar, ready to beat up the maknae, mumbling incoherent swearings under his breath. The same moment Mingi walked through the door, asking what was going on. Everyone turned their attention to the newcomer and Seonghwa slowly let go of Jongho's collar.

"Didn't you hear that I wanted to see you?" Mingi asked Hongjoong, oblivious to the conversation the four guys just had.

"I gave him the message." Jongho said, nodding towards Hongjoong.

"The doctor's temperature is high, it's over forty Celsius. Also the phones and internet aren't working anymore.." Mingi explained while everyone's attention was on him.

"Is it because of the snow? It was on the radio earlier.." Yunho said as he had heard a news station mention it earlier.

"What? So we're totally trapped then?" Seonghwa asked with a roll of his eyes.

"If his temperature exceeds forty-one Celsius, his brain functions may be damaged. Do you guys know why I have hearing impairment? My mum had a terrible fever when she was pregnant with me, which caused my current situation." Jongho informed. No one answered Jongho, but all of them stood up and headed for the nursing room to see the doctor, the only one not following was Jongho, he slowly made his way back to his room instead.

"Watch Jongho and see what he does." Hongjoong told Yunho when they were out of reach for Jongho to hear. Yunho nodded and headed back to Hongjoong's room to keep watch on Jongho through the laptop. Seonghwa, Mingi and Hongjoong walked inside the nursing room, seeing the doctor laying on the bed breathing heavily.

"Did you take some medicine?" Hongjoong asked Dr. Lee, to which the doctor nodded.

After some time, Hongjoong was wiping the doctor's face with a cold wet cloth when he noticed Yunho standing in the doorway. Yunho nodded to the older, suggesting that Jongho was up to something. Hongjoong told the others he was going to the library to find some useful books when Seonghwa had asked him where he was going. He walked outside to talk with Yunho, who explained that the surveillance had shown that Jongho had made his way into the security room of the school, Hongjoong nodded and followed Yunho who was leading the way.

"How did he get into the security room?" Hongjoong asked out of breath from the fast pace they had been walking at when they came closer to the security room.

"With the batteries to the lock, he took them out." Yunho answered Hongjoong's question.

"So much for the latest technology.. What did he do inside?"

"I don't know, there's no security cameras."

"How long was he in there?"

"Not long though.. maybe 10 seconds?"

The two walked into the security room, to see massive screens that showed surveillance tapes from all around the school along with computers to control them. Hongjoong walked up to the computers, inspecting them for a moment.

"The security computers are fine but the communication computers are down.." The older stated, he looked over his shoulder to face Yunho before asking where San was.

**2017, December 27th, 7:21 PM**

Yunho had gone to get San like Hongjoong had asked for, and San was now typing away on a computer in the security room, trying to break into the system.

"It won't get past the first screen.. What could be wrong?" Hongjoong asked from his standing position on San's left.

"Is it only the communication computers?" San asked, looking up at Hongjoong, the older nodded. San stood up and made his way behind the screens opening the backside of the old styled computer. He crouched down to get a better look inside.

"This is interesting. The smartest boy and most obedient boy breaks in here." Mingi said as he entered the room, he had left Seonghwa at the nursing room with the doctor when he saw Yunho and San walking by, sensing something was up.

"How did you know we were here?" Hongjoong asked.

"You're acting fishy.. What's going on?" Mingi ignored Hongjoong's question.

"The phones and internet aren't down because of the snow, the computers are faulty."

"Someone messed up the system." San said as he walked back to the others from behind the computers. He lifted up a big piece of crumpled paper in his hand.

"This was in the cooler. Someone must have placed it there." All four of them walked back behind the computer to look inside.

"Can you fix it?" Hongjoong asked San.

"Main board, graphic card, CPU.. they're all broken." San answered.

**2017, December 27th, 8:42 PM**

Everyone except Jongho was gathered in the student resting area. Mingi sat alone in a leather chair, Hongjoong and Seonghwa on each their end of a couch, San alone in a leather chair like Mingi and Yeosang and Yunho on each end of a couch on the opposite side of the Seonghwa and Hongjoong.

"Jongho? You said the phones and internet were down from the morning.. He went into the security room a little while ago." San said looking around.

"He must've gone to check." Seonghwa said, still believing Jongho to be the culprit among them.

"Why? He knew the phones were down." San shot back.

"Anyway he did it!" Seonghwa yelled, losing his temper. ‘’Taeyong's friend, Mingi's stalker. He also broke into the security room. Who else could it be?"

"There's someone else." Mingi interrupted.

"The teacher?" San asked, having already figured that out.

"Our sins that are written in the letter are nothing major. It's just personal, but that's not the case with the teacher. If he's found out, he'll get fired or even go to jail." Mingi said while looking at San.

"So?"

"What would you do if you were him? It's common. Tell a big lie to cover up smaller ones. Commit a big crime to cover up petty crimes." The room became silent when Mingi finished speaking, everyone thinking the words from the tall male over in their heads.

"Let's go! Let's go outside. I don't care if it's the teacher or Jongho. It's simple." Seonghwa said, standing up which made everyone turn their head to look at him because of his sudden outburst. The sun had went down by now and only a couple of lights around the resting area were lighting up the room. They had been sitting there for a few hours talking, but never reaching a solid conclusion.

"What about the doctor?" Hongjoong asked, remembering the doctor had a bad fever at the moment.

"He can't go outside." Mingi saif sternly, taking Dr. Lee's condition into consideration.

"There's nothing we can do here. It's better if we go out and call an ambulance for him. Don't you think so?" Seonghwa exclaimed as he started walking back and forth behind the chair San was sitting on.

"I'm not going." San responded leaving no room for discussion. "Even if highway thirty-seven is operating, it'll take over five hours to get there. Plus, it’s already dark, imagine how low our body temperature will fall. We'll freeze in less than two hours."

"It's better than spending the night here with some maniac." Seonghwa retorted, wanting to go through with his sudden and reckless plan. He leaned over the back of the couch Yeosang was sitting on, looking at the younger.

"How about you?" Seonghwa asked.

"I don't like walking long distances." Yeosang said with a bored voice, his face holding an equally bored expression. Seonghwa looked in Mingi's direction.

"I can't walk alone in the dark with a guy like you, who knows what you might do." Mingi said, knowing Seonghwa was about to ask him to go as well.

"Just wait until the morning, Seonghwa. Once the doctor’s temperature drops, we'll leave early in the morning. Let's all spend the night together so we can keep an eye out for each other." Hongjoong suggested.

San stood up from his seat and started walking away. "The physics teacher was on duty last year, right?"

"Where are you going?" Hongjoong asked, confused by the younger guy, not like that was anything new.

"To look for something." San said, walking to the exit of the room.

"Take someone with you." Hongjoong said as his protective instincts kicked in.

"I'll go with him" Yunho stood up and followed San to wherever he was heading.

"Where are the photos Jongho took?" Mingi asked, gaining Hongjoong's attention.

"In my room." Mingi stood up and Hongjoong stood up telling Yeosang and Seonghwa to head to the nursing room to look after the doctor while he followed Mingi.

Mingi and Hongjoong entered the latter's room. Mingi wanted to see the photos even though Hongjoong had told him not to, well knowing it would upset the younger guy.

"Why? Are they racy?" Mingi asked bored, but slightly scared of the answer even though he was just joking.

"Do you really want to see them?" Hongjoong asked taking the album in his hands. Mingi didn't answer, he simply snatched the album from the elder’s grasp, opening it and started looking through the pictures of himself that he never knew existed.

"What did he even do with these..?" Mingi mumbled, flipping each page harder than the last before he threw the album to the floor. He took the second album from Hongjoong's desk, opening it to take out a couple of pictures before tripping them into tiny pieces, anger and confusion filling his system. Before Mingi could rip more pictures apart Hongjoong caught his arm telling the younger that he would get rid of the pictures for him. Mingi let out a sigh and sat down on the bed, Hongjoong kneeling down on the floor to pick up the scattered paper. He randomly ended up looking under his bed and saw a dark shadow. He quickly pulled Mingi to his feet and away from the bed. From under the bed, out crawled a sorry looking Jongho.

"Wait.. Please just listen to me.." He said, regret noticeable on his face, he lifted his hands to show he meant no harm but as he did that, he dropped a screwdriver from his hand, making it fall to the floor for Hongjoong and Mingi to see. Hongjoong looked at Jongho with wide eyes, not knowing what to say, so Jongho kneeled down to pick up the screwdriver.

"Choi Jongho." Hongjoong said in a defensive and nervous voice. Jongho stood back up looking back at Hongjoong who was standing in front of a terrified Mingi.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I came here to talk to you.. I hid because you came in here with Mingi." Jongho tried to reason.

"You were holding that?" Hongjoong nodded towards the screwdriver in Jongho's hands.

"For self-defence."

"From who?"

"You said the phones were down because of snow, but that's ridiculous. Take a look outside. Do you see any power lines? No. All the lines are underground, so the snow couldn't have affected the phone lines. It means that there's something wrong with the communication system." Jongho tried to reason again, hoping to gain the two elders' trust.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Hongjoong asked while still being cautious of Jongho as he was technically armed.

"You were all suspicious of me. What could I say? I wanted to make sure first. We can't assume that the computers broke down naturally.. If someone broke them, they're planning worse things. I came here to warn you."

Jongho walked towards the door making Hongjoong and Mingi quickly get out of the way as they had been standing there. Before Jongho exited the room he looked at Mingi for a moment, sadness flashing across his face, then he left. Hongjoong had been holding onto Mingi's wrist where he had cut himself a few days prior, making the taller whine slightly at the pain. Hongjoong let go immediately then went to the door to check if Jongho had really left, which he had. Hongjoong walked Mingi back to his own room afterwards and as they entered the tallers room, Hongjoong checked various hiding places to make sure no one was secretly hiding in there. He sat beside Mingi on the bed and looked at him.

"Will you be alright?"

"If I'm not? Will you stay here?"

"Lock the door. I'll come and get you tomorrow. Wait for me."

"If I was a girl I could almost fall for you.." Mingi chuckled.

Hongjoong rose to his feet to leave, but before he left, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a whistle, giving it to Mingi. Mingi took the whistle from the oldest hand, looking at the silver item.

"If something happens..-"

"I'll blow and you'll come running?"

"Lock the door." Hongjoong didn't answer the question and left the room after hearing Mingi mumble a quiet ' _thank you_ '.

Yunho and San were in the schools office and the youngest was searching for something on one of the teacher's desks. San opened the lowest drawer in the desk after having searched the others, he pulled out a calendar from last year. Yunho was simply watching him, still not sure what he was looking for or why.

"The physics teacher keeps memos on the calendar." San said opening the calendar from last year and finding December month.

"December 25th, 1:05 a.m. East wing, Lee Taeyong found." San read out loud then turned to look at Yunho.

"Do you have the letter?" San asked the taller guy beside him.

"Yes." Yunho took out the letter from his pocket handing it to San. They walked out of the office, San reading the letter as they walked, Yunho trailing behind him.

" _Park Seonghwa_ tainted Lee Taeyong and made him pitiful. _Kang Yeosang_ turned him into the monster in the corner. The teacher- _Mr. Park_ , silenced him. _Song Mingi_ ridiculed his false hopes. _Kim Hongjoong_ took the only thing he had and put it around his neck. He held out his hand and _Choi Jongho_ let go. _I_ deleted him from my eyes." San finished talking, slowly solving the big puzzle they had all been placed inside of. He turned his head to look at Yunho.

"Did you transfer here?" San asked while having an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hmm? Oh yes, I did.." Yunho answered

"Did you take Taeyong's place after he left then?"

"I guess so.." Sanstill had an unreadable look on his face but just nodded slowly.

**2017, 27th December** **9:27 PM**

Hongjoong was going back towards his room after having followed Mingi to his room. That’s when he heard the blow of a whistle. He stopped for a moment to look around, before sprinting in the direction of the sound, running as fast as his legs let him. Worry filled his mind, thinking about all the scenarios that could've happened.

_I can confess that I had some expectations._

_19 years old._

_Not an adult nor a child._

_An in-between age with desires of escape._

Yunho and San heard the whistle too and were running towards the sound. The whistling never stopping.

_It may not be as adventurous as Huckleberry Finn or Nanook._

_But I had some hope about escaping from reality._

_It was the last time we could believe in adventure._

_Up until now, we were more excited than afraid._

By now most of the students present at the school had heard the whistle and were running towards it. The sound gradually got louder as they got closer. Everyone arrived at the southern exit of the school that led out to the little garden in the backyard of the school, the same place where Wooyoung had tried to beat up Yeosang a few days ago. When they got outside they saw Mingi standing in front of the fountain, completely out of breath but still blowing the whistle. Everyone raced down the stairs to Mingi, but Mingi was too caught up in his own world to even notice the five guys standing behind him. The breeze was cold and made everyone's hair stand on end, snow covering the ground like a beautiful fluffy blanket. Mingi kept blowing the whistle until Hongjoong walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Mingi." Hongjoong said making Mingi stop blowing the whistle and turn around to face Hongjoong.

_But we had all forgotten._

_No matter how bright a voice you say it in, breaking away from reality is dangerous._

"Over there.." Mingi's voice was trembling, he looked over his shoulder to Hongjoong while pointing his finger in the direction of the fountain."Over there.."

_The boy must be cruel in order to survive._

Everyone looked in the direction Mingi was pointing at, noticing at a rather big pile of snow. A strong breeze started blowing and some of the snow blew away from the pile revealing a tuft of black hair beneath the snow, then slowly a face became visible as more snow blew away. The face belonged to their P.E teacher, Park Hyungsik.

_Huckleberry Finn and Nanook ended up meeting the devil too._

**2017, December 27th, 8:54 PM**

Wooyoung was getting closer to the main road that would lead him back to the city after the long trip. He let out a scream of happiness, the sound echoing through the forest he was walking through. He smiled to himself then pulled out his flashlight from his bag, seeing as the night had swallowed all of the daylight by now. He turned on the flashlight so he could see where he was going, when he was about to keep walking he heard a loud sound behind him.

Wooyoung turned around to look for the cause of the noise, only to see a massive cloud of snow making its way towards him. An avalanche.

_A private school secluded in the mountains of Gangwon Do._

_The eight days winter break had begun._

_The school was snowed in._

_Seven students and a teacher remained._

_The teacher got a letter too._

_They all received the same letter._

_But the letter we received wasn't a letter._

_It was a suicide note._

_And it was from last year._

_We had all taken a bite and killed someone._

_We can't find the teacher._

_There.._

_Evil rolled itself in the snow and came after us._

_And..._

_The story I'm going to tell is about my fight with a monster._

_I had to become a monster myself for eight days to fight it._

**27th of December,** **9:34 PM**

 _The blow of a whistle echoed throughout the school, everyone had heard it by now, everyone except Jongho_.

Jongho entered his dorm and sat down on his swivel chair at his desk, his hearing aid placed on the desk as he had been taking a shower after his unfortunate meeting with Hongjoong and Mingi earlier. He took the hearing aid and placed it back into his ear, turning it back.

_The same moment the whistling stopped.._

**27th of December,** **9:35 PM**

Hongjoong, Mingi, Seonghwa, Yunho, San and Yeosang stood outside in the cold, everyone looking at their teacher who was buried beneath the snow, only his face showing. No one knew what to say, and even Seonghwa didn't feel like making a smart comment at the moment. Everything was silent beside the sound of a gentle breeze.

Hongjoong was the first to make a move. He walked around Mingi and towards the teacher, an unreadable expression on his face. He squatted down beside Mr. Park, slowly placing two fingers under his nose to check for any sign of breathing, but there were none. Hongjoong stood back up and faced his fellow students, he took a step forward but he ended up kicking something that was laying on the ground, hidden beneath the fallen snow. He picked up the item he had just kicked and saw it was a hobby knife.

"Is he dead..?" Seonghwa asked carefully as he had made his way over to Hongjoong. This made Hongjoong look at the older, but he didn't answer and simply looked back at the knife in his hands, hoping Seonghwa understood his silence. San walked up to the two oldest before speaking up.

"I'd put that down if I were you. They'll probably inspect the crime scene and check for fingerprints later. " Hongjoong nodded at San, understanding his logic before dropping the knife back into the snow.

Everyone made their way inside, walking quietly in the hallway. All of them were too shaken up from the gruesome sight they had just witnessed.

"Is he really dead..?" Seonghwa asked, still not quite believing that they had just found their P.E teacher dead outside.

"It snowed before dawn. The teacher must've died before then. Calculating the time when the computers cooler stopped and the computers shut down.. The computer must have been broken around the same time. Sometime between midnight and sunrise this morning someone killed the teacher and cut us off from the rest of the world." San explained, him being the only one who was keeping his head straight after their discovery.

"Why? Who?" Yunho asked as he walked down the stairs with everyone else, San on his right side. Seonghwa stopped on the stairs as he started talking.

"The Camera Dude. Choi Jongho." Seonghwa said, anger filling his voice and everyone's attention was on him.

"Let's get down there as fast as possible. The cafeteria is really the safest place." Seonghwa hurried down the stairs they had been walking on, as he stepped foot onto the floor of the cafeteria, he let out a sigh. The rest of them followed him but at a much calmer pace. Seonghwa turned his head to the right, spotting Jongho standing in the open kitchen, cutting some vegetables for his dinner. Jongho made eye contact with Seonghwa before lifting the knife in his hand and looking at it, this made Seonghwa take a step back, the others were standing beside him now.

"Where did you all go? It's like a horror movie here. All this food and no one around.. The radio playing by itself.. what's with you guys? Is something wrong? Did you see a ghost?" Jongho asked while looking at Hongjoong who made his way towards him.

"Something like that..." San said as he started walking to the other end of the room where the table was placed.

"Really? What then?" Jongho asked, now focusing on his food again. San turned his head to Jongho but as he was about to answer the maknae but the sound of the microwaves beeping interrupted him. Jongho took out his plate of food still holding a knife in his other hand for self defence.

"I don't know what it was, but you must have witnessed it as a group. You all look awfully pale." Jongho made his way past his fellow students heading for the stairs that lead to the males dormitory.

"Are you taking that with you?" Hongjoong asked.

"Yeah, I feel like I'll suffocate here." Jongho said while looking down on his food, he knew very well the older had been referring to the knife and not his food.

"I was talking about the knife."

"Ahh.." Jongho took a look at the knife before placing it down on the counter beside him, he then looked at Hongjoong as he started talking again.

"I had something to tell you, but I guess now isn't the best time. See you later." Jongho said and walked up the stairs, heading for his room to eat his dinner.

"Geez.. He's so creepy. I swear, I'll..-" Seonghwa mumbled his anger taking over his rational thoughts until Hongjoong placed a hand on his shoulder, making him stop.

The six guys had sat down at the table in the cafeteria, the room dark except for a few lights over the tables and one near the metal staircase. Mingi, San and Hongjoong on one side and Yeosang, Yunho and Seonghwa on the other.

"Discretion? Forget discretion, just look where it's gotten us." Seonghwa said, raising his voice at the end. They had been talking back and forth about the situation for a while now, but none of them had a solid solution or plan on what to do next. San pushed his chair back, standing up and walking away from the table on his own.

"You saw him with the knife. Did we see a ghost? We saw a body, you crazy bitch. What are you gonna do about it Hongjoong?" Seonghwa exclaimed looking at Hongjoong in front of him, expecting him to have all the answers.

"What do you want me to do?" Hongjoong asked in an exhausted voice.

"Let's get him first. Jongho's a murderer. He killed Mr. Park and he could kill the rest of us too. We have to get him first." Seonghwa had fire in his eyes, only waiting for Hongjoong to give him permission to go and beat up the murderer.

"Do you think he really did it?" Yunho asked from his seat on Seonghwa's right.

"You fucking idiot. It's either number one or number two. If it's not one, then it must be two. It was either Mr. Park or Jongho. If one of them is dead, who do you think it is then?" Seonghwa groaned, he thought that even the dumbest fool in the room could see his logic, but apparently not.

"You're so polite now that he's dead. You always addressed him informally." Mingi piped up from the end of the table. When Mingi finished talking, San returned to the table with a plate of food and a glass of water for himself. He sat down and began eating his food, earning a look of disbelief from Hongjoong.

"You're going to eat?" Hongjoong asked San.

"Aren't you?" San asked slightly confused. Yeosang started clapping his hands, his lips in a slight pout but his face still held a bored expression.

"Wow.. Look at you. Being all tough" Yeosang commented sarcastically.

"It looks like it's going to be a long night, we need the energy. It's probably best that everyone eats something." San said while looking around the table, then continued to eat his dinner. The comment from San made everyone quiet as they could see the logic in his words, but due to the event, none of them had any appetite.

Wooyoung was laying unconscious under the snow from the avalanche when a dark shadow approached him. The person saw Wooyoung and went to check if he was still breathing, which he was. A flashlight Wooyoung had been carrying was laying on the ground, the stranger picked it up and saw 'Susin High' written on the side of it. The stranger got Wooyoung out from the snow after a while of digging, and placed him on a small sleigh, pulling him on the sleigh towards a tent the stranger had put up for the night.

Hongjoong and Mingi were in the nursing room, taking care of the doctor who still had a high fever. Hongjoong found a scalpel in the back of the room and gave it to Mingi.

"Do you think I could really do it? Do you think I could stab Jongho? Would you be able to do it?" Mingi asked while eyeing the small blade.

"I will if I have to." Hongjoong answered truthfully. The same moment Yunho, Yeosang and Seonghwa who was carrying various things such as a bat, broken brooms etc. entered the room, making Mingi hide the scalpel in his coat pocket. Seonghwa placed the things on the table before speaking.

"Pick one."

Yeosang picked up the pointing stick Seonghwa had found in one of the classrooms and started skilfully swirling it around in his hands. The rest of them each picked up an item for them to defend themselves with, Hongjoong a baseball bat, Yunho and Seonghwa a steel pipe. Seonghwa had a smirk on his face, liking the idea of finally getting to beat up the maknae, but his eyes traveled to San who stood with his hands in his pocket, having not picked up a 'weapon'. Seonghwa gave San a look as telling him to choose his weapon as well, but San turned around and sat down on a chair instead, looking at the guys before him.

"Four should be enough. I'll stay here." San stated, making Seonghwa shake his head in annoyance at the younger's attitude.

"Let's go." The oldest said, but not before throwing a glare in Sans direction.

Mingi was sitting down near Dr. Lee, having not chosen a weapon too as he didn't want to be part of Seonghwa's little 'Let's beat up Jongho' gang. Everyone that had picked a weapon left the room, leaving San and Mingi with the doctor who was laying barely conscious on the bed.

Seonghwa, Hongjoong, Yunho and Yeosang were walking down the hallway towards Jongho's room, Seonghwa occasionally swinging his steel pipe in pure anger while having a sadistic smile on his face. The four stopped outside of Jongho's door, and as Seonghwa was about to open the door, Hongjoong placed a hand on his shoulder, reminding the oldest that their goal was to catch Jongho and not kill him. Seonghwa rolled his eyes telling Hongjoong he'll see how things turn out. The oldest yelled out Jongho's name, letting the maknae know that they were there to see him.

Seonghwa knocked harshly on the steel door a couple of times before Hongjoong opened the door carefully as it wasn't locked. Hongjoong walked in as the first while the others were right behind him. The room was completely dark, the only light present was the moonlight that lighted up small parts of the room. They saw a dark figure sitting at the desk on the right side of the room and Hongjoong called out Jongho's name carefully again, letting the maknae know they didn't intend to hurt him unless he struck first. Hongjoong turned the lights on, everyone's eyes on the younger's back as Hongjoong told him to turn around.

"Turn around Jongho. I'll count to three." Hongjoong said as the maknae wasn't responding.

"One.... Two... Three." Hongjoong finished and the light in the room turned off. Seonghwa reacted on his impulses and swung his steel pipe as hard he could against the maknae's back, hitting him at least five to seven times, but Hongjoong's eyes went wide when he saw feathers swirl up from the beating Seonghwa was giving. The light turned back on as it was Yeosang who had accidentally turned if of before when he had leaned against the wall trying to avoid getting hit by Seonghwa.

"Seonghwa stop!" Hongjoong yelled. All of their eyes was on the pillows that had been placed on Jongho's chair and covered with his hoodie to make it look like he was sitting there.

"Sorry buddy... My back.." Yeosang said in his deep voice, referring to the lights that had turned off which had made Seonghwa lash out worse than intended. Seonghwa pointed the end of his steel pipe towards Yeosang's face, looking at him with an anger filled expression.

"I'll kill you."

"Forgive me, _buddy._ " Yeosang said, not the least bit intimidated by Seonghwa. The oldest muttered a small ' _whatever_ ' under his breath before they all left Jongho's room to look for the living Jongho instead of keep beating up the decoy.

"Cameraman Choi, so you're hiding aren't you?" Seonghwa said, not meaning it as a literal question as they walked through the hallways. "Stay hidden, Choi! You're dead if I catch you!" Seonghwa yelled into the empty hallway, the only sound being his voice and the four guys' footsteps.

"Do you think he'll be okay..?" Yunho asked Hongjoong who was walking beside him, referring to the oldest.

"He's just _scared_. The cowards are usually the most violent." Yeosang answered Yunho from where he was walking behind them.

Wooyoung woke up to a burning sensation on his cheek, he lifted his hand to the wound he had gotten across his cheek from the avalanche, whining slightly at the pain. He sat up and started stretching his sore body before looking around only to see a rather tall figure standing a good distance away from him beside a blue tent that was put up in the middle of the snow covered field. Wooyoung gulped nervously then greeted the person- who's face he couldn't see, respectfully adding a small bow of his head at the end.

Wooyoung had gotten up from the sleigh he had been sitting on and was now sitting inside the tent with the stranger that had found him. The stranger zipped the tent closed before removing the beanie and mask he had been wearing, revealing a face full of sharp features. His eyes sharp like a cats, his cheekbones high and sharp just like his nose, Wooyoung may have looked an extra couple of seconds at the male in front of him before he was snapped back to reality from the pain he was now feeling in his ankle. The handsome stranger sat down in front of Wooyoung and helped him take off his shoe so he could get a better look at the damage Wooyoung's foot had taken.

"Who are you? A soldier?" Wooyoung asked carefully not wanting to get on his bad side as he didn't know the guy.

"No." The guy answered simply, the high voice surprising Wooyoung for a moment, but of course, who was he to judge- his voice wasn't exactly the manliest either.

"A spy then?~" Wooyoung continued on, this made the stranger let out a chuckle.

Mingi was crushing some antipyretic pills for the doctor as he couldn't swallow a normal pill in his current state. San was sitting at a desk in the nursing room looking at a sketch he had made of the school which showed where everything was placed, the school buildings, the main entrance to the school, the school gate and where they had found the teacher earlier, basically a self made blueprint of their school. San folded his hands together, closing his eyes for a moment to think over all the relevant dates in his head.

_2017/03/04 - Clock tower completion._

_2017/04/01 - School gate completion._

_2016/12/25 - Lee Taeyong's suicide attempt._

_2017/01/19 - Lee Taeyong's death._

San opened his eyes again and folded the blueprint of the school he had made, putting it in his pocket before standing up. Moments later the four guys that had gone after Jongho, returned to the nursing room.

"How could they not let us know!? Wooyoung has been hacking the security cameras." Seonghwa said, directing the last part towards San who was standing beside him now.

"They knew that and have been enjoying the footage all by themselves." Seonghwa sneered, swinging his pipe in the direction of Hongjoong and Yunho.

Hongjoong ignored Seonghwa's complaints and sat down at the desk San had just been sitting at. When they couldn't find Jongho, they had went to Hongjoong's room to fetch Wooyoung's computer which had all the hacked security cameras on it. Hongjoong plugged the charger to Wooyoung's computer into the power outlet and opened the computer to look at the surveillance. San took at deep breath before telling them- mainly Hongjoong as he was the only sane person left by now, that he would be in the lab.

"Why?" Hongjoong questioned the younger, confused by his sudden statement.

"To make a rescue signal. There have been a lot of helicopters flying around recently. It will be faster than trying to walk out of here and.. we have a patient too."

"Ingredients?" Hongjoong asked.

"I've got enough." San answered while turning his back to Hongjoong to leave the room.

"Aren't you scared? Choi Jongho is walking around with a _knife_." Seonghwa asked from beside Hongjoong, a teasing feel to his voice. San looked over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Seonghwa.

"You look like the most dangerous person to me right now." San retorted, referring to the steel pipe Seonghwa had in his hands.

"It is dangerous alone." Hongjoong stated.

"Want to come with me?" San lifted an eyebrow and shifted his eyes to look at Yunho who had kept him company many times before. Yunho nodded and followed San to the lab.

Hongjoong was watching the CCTV looking through the different screens while Seonghwa stood behind him when he saw the camera from Jongho's room showing that the maknae was in fact in his room right this moment.

"Got him." Seonghwa said with a sadistic smile on his face before racing out of the nursing room towards Jongho's room, Yeosang and Hongjoong following him right after.

The three of them were outside Jongho's room when Seonghwa opened the door, and in the door stood Jongho right before them. Realisation washed over his face before he pushed past Seonghwa and ran down the hallway as fast as he could, Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Yeosang hot on his trail, chasing him around almost the entire school.

**27th of December,** **10:42 PM**

San was working on connecting a bunch of wires inside his self made electric shock device, Yunho was standing at the door, looking through the glass to keep watch while San worked.

"Can you get me some tape?" San asked, looking up at Yunho. Yunho turned around to look at San before nodding, picking up the tape that was placed on the table beside him. He gave the tape to San and took a look at the thing San was working on.

"Is that the rescue signal?"

"No, I need something else before then."

"What?"

"An electric shock device. I don't want to make it too strong though." San said pressing the button on the device to see it was working as expected.

"Where will you use that?" Yunho asked, slightly impressed by the younger's abilities. San turned to look at Yunho.

"On you." Yunho looked at San, his face not giving away any emotions.

"Why did you send the letters?" San asked, looking Yunho straight in the eyes. The two held eye contact for a while, no one saying anything.

Seonghwa was still chasing Jongho around the school, Yeosang and Hongjoong not too far behind him, but not fast enough to keep up with the oldest. Jongho ran inside a classroom where all the lights were off. Not long after Seonghwa entered too, looking around the familiar room before speaking in a slow, threatening voice.

"Jongho, come on out.. I'd come out if I were you~" Seonghwa said, walking further into the room while dragging the pipe in his hands against the floor making it create a scraping sound. Jongho was hidden under one of the desks where he could see Seonghwa from, but the younger wasn't visible to Seonghwa.

When the oldest couldn't find Jongho, he made his way out of the room and walked in the hallway, the rail to the staircase on his right. He lifted the pipe and dragged it along the railing while mumbling to himself.

"For such a terrible school, this place is annoyingly big.."

San was standing by the window, not looking at anything outside in particular as it was complete black outside. Yunho stood behind San and spoke in a soft voice.

"How did you know?"

"All the evidence points at you."

"For example?" Yunho's question had San turning around to face him.

"The letter’s writer changed Lee Taeyong's words a little. The bit about his sins and the passages he found strange. _Walk up the path by the zelkova tree. Under the clock tower, you will see someone dead._ I think this is how it was written originally. _Walk up the path of the zelkova tree. Stand in front of the gates and you will see someone dead._ Isn't that right?" San questioned Yunho as he started walking back and forth before continuing his theory.

"You can't see the east wing from the current gates, but Lee Taeyong fell from the east wing and died. You must've thought it was strange, so you changed it to under the clock tower. When Taeyong died, the gates were more to the left. The current gates and clock tower were built right after he died. Having transferred in the second year, you're the only one who doesn't know that." San stopped walking but didn't turn to look at the elder. Yunho walked over to the table and sat down, his head hanging low.

"That's right.. I read Lee Taeyong's diary.. It wasn't a suicide note, it was a diary. His last diary entry. I thought it was strange when I read it.. He fell from the east wing, but I could only see the south wing from the gates.. I should've just left it.." Yunho swallowed the lump that had formed his throat before continuing.

"Maybe it's because I'm a science major, but things like that really bother me.."

"You're a science major?" San asked, sitting down on the table beside Yunho.

"We're in the same class.." Yunho said, almost annoyed.

"Are we..?" San trailed off not remembering seeing Yunho in his class.

"Admission to Susin High.. That was my mum's long term project. Elementary school grade three, four, five, six. Middle school one, two, three. A total of seven years. However I didn't pass the exams.. My mum wouldn't even eat, she would just cry like the world was over... My mum told me to repeat a year, but my dad put me into a regular school. You may not believe me but I was the smartest kid there. The other kids would ask me for answers after the exams.." Yunho took a deep breath, looking at his hands. San was looking at Yunho while he was talking, just quietly listening to the older.

"But since coming here, I've become a nobody. Everyone around me is like a monster. I wondered whether I was a ghost.. Friends? _Friendship_? Does any of that exist here? It may be the same everywhere else... But when I saw it... The diary of the boy who used the room before me. Lee Taeyong. He died so I was accepted here. He was overshadowed and didn't fit in. He would walk around all day without looking anyone in the eye. No one talked to him and he had no one to talk to either... I could empathise with his pain, because it was like it was happening to me." Yunho lifted his gaze from his hands to look at San, his voice slowly filling with hatred instead of sympathy for the guy who had died.

"None of you even knew whether he was here or not... Whether he was dead or alive, so I wanted to let you all know his pain.. My pain. Do you understand?" Yunho said, looking at San who was still sitting on the table beside him.

"No.." San said simply but not looking at Yunho. The elder let out a chuckle of disbelief.

"Well, I didn't expect you to. You don't even recognise a person you had classes with for a year."

"Is that a bad thing?" San asked while having an emotionless expression on his face. Yunho let out a sigh before telling him that he didn't know either anymore, but he wasn't the one who had killed the teacher and he wasn't the one who had broken the computers either. San stood up again and walked over to the things he had been working on before.

"I know. You didn't have time to do that. You were with Hongjoong last night, he told me that. Give me the gloves." San said as he started finding various powders and glasses to mix them into.

"What for?" Yunho asked as he gave San the gloves.

"To make the rescue signal." San answered while he put on the gloves and started working on mixing the powders correctly.

"Who do you think killed the teacher?" Yunho asked after a few minutes of silence.

"If Choi Jongho had nothing to do with the letters, it could be anyone."

"... Are you going to tell the others that I sent the letters?" Yunho trailed off, nervous of what the others' reaction would be, especially Seonghwa's. San looked up from the work in his hands to look at Yunho.

"Do you think I should?" San turned his gaze towards the door and nodded in the same direction for Yunho to look as well. Outside they could see Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yeosang roaming the hallways, their individually picked weapons in hand.

"They'd probably hunt you down." San said while diverting his focus back on making the rescue signal. Yunho let out a deep sigh knowing San was right.

Seonghwa slammed the steel pipe in his hand down on a table in the classroom they were currently gathered in. Hongjoong sat on a desk and Yeosang stood beside him.

"You just saw him? Are you sure he came in here?" Seonghwa questioned with anger filling his voice. He walked towards Hongjoong which the question was directed to, but Yeosang was the one to speak up.

"You saw him too." Yeosang said with a roll of his eyes. Seonghwa gave the younger a quick glare before leaving the room, Hongjoong and Yeosang following him yet again.

Jongho came out from his hiding spot from inside a cabinet when he heard the others had left. He looked around before thinking about what Seonghwa had said. _Saw him?_ What did he mean by that? Jongho has been out of their sight for the last 20 minutes, yet they managed to find the room he was hiding in, luckily without actually finding him. Jongho looked around the room before his eyes landed on the security camera at the very back of the classroom.

Wooyoung and the stranger who had come to his rescue was sitting inside the tent. Wooyoung had learned the stranger's name was Moon Jun after begging for him to say it for like an hour. Wooyoung's ankle was sore from having been twisted when the small avalanche hit him, but luckily not broken, so he was still able to move around. Wooyoung had gotten a small wound on his cheek but Jun had had some bandaids with him, so now Wooyoung was wearing a pastel pink bandaid with a kitten on his cheek, much to his dismay. Jun was now pouring some hot tea into a small tin cup then gave it to Wooyoung, so the younger guy could warm up a little.

"I still go rock climbing and I practiced martial arts for about 7 years" Jun answered the question Wooyoung had asked him.

"What's why you came here all alone? To rock climb?" Wooyoung asked with disbelief in his voice.

"To climb ice." Jun corrected him, a smile on his face as he took a sip of his own tea.

"Tell me about your school," Jun said curiously.

"My school?"

"The roads to the village are totally blocked, and we may experience a second or third snowstorm. We have to go back to your school, it’s not safe out here.." Jun said, which made Wooyoung nod his head in agreement, oblivious to what was currently happening back at the school.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong had returned to the nursing room where Mingi had been watching over the doctor while the others went on their little Jongho hunt. Hongjoong sat by the doctor’s side, checking his temperature while Seonghwa sat on a chair on the opposite side, continuously dropping the end of the pipe against the floor, making the sound echo throughout the room.

"Can you stop that noise? You're so obvious.. you can't even hold still for a second. You're clearly scared to death." Mingi said as he stood up, having had enough of Seonghwa's contribution to noise pollution. Seonghwa glared at Mingi then averted his eyes back to the floor.

"Jongho you heartless bastard..." Seonghwa muttered then averted his eyes to Mingi yet again. "You wanted to die so badly that you slit your wrists. He should've killed you and not the teacher, don't you think?" Seonghwa ended his sentence with a small smirk on his face.

"Jongho says you're next." Mingi answered sarcastically while keeping his eyes on Seonghwa.

"If you want to die so badly, keep talking and I'll help you." Seonghwa told the younger in a threatening voice.

"Wow, thanks.. I'll make sure to leave word of your kindness as my dying message. I'll write it with my bloody fingers. _The Plague._ " Mingi shot back, not being intimidated the least by Seonghwa's words.

"Stop it both of you!" Hongjoong yelled while rising to his feet, he'd had enough of Mingi and Seonghwa's bickering by now and just wanted some goddamn peace.

"He started it!" Seonghwa yelled, pointing his pipe in Mingi's direction. The younger man just turned around, ignoring Seonghwa and informed everyone that he was going back to his room.

"Mingi." Hongjoong grabbed his arm, hoping he'd stay so they were more people to keep watch on the doctor, and at the same time not liking the idea of anyone walking around alone.

San was almost done making the rescue signal when the door opened to reveal Jongho standing there, screwdriver in his hand for self-defence. Jongho looked at San before averting his eyes to Yunho. The older suddenly bolted to the side to escape the room but Jongho trapped him between the tables and the wall. San looked at the two not bothering to stand up to interfere and kept his focus on the rescue signal. Yunho looked everywhere but at Jongho, he saw a scissor laying on a table a few steps away from him, but before he could reach it, Jongho told him not to move, which Yunho didn't, he only turned back around to face Jongho. The maknae saw the security camera on his right and turned it off before looking back at Yunho.

"Choi Jongho." Yunho said in a warning tone.

"Why are you doing this to me? Has everyone gone crazy? The Plague tried to bust my head open... okay fine, nothing new there. But Kim Hongjoong too? What did I do? Is this because I took pictures of Mingi? Is that a crime worthy of death?" Jongho asked, he didn't understand why everyone had suddenly wanted to hunt him down like he was some sort of monster, not until Yunho spoke up to tell the maknae about their now deceased teacher.

Jongho looked shocked at Yunho for a moment. "You think I killed him? How? He was a judo athlete." Jongho tried to reason.

"Anyways, he's dead. One of us killed him." San spoke up for the first time since Jongho had entered the lab where they were. The sound of a steel pipe hitting the railing to the stairs made them look towards the door, Jongho quickly hid under the table, knowing very well who had just entered the room.

"Hongjoong wants you." Seonghwa said almost bored, as he looked at Yunho first then San from where he was standing in the doorway.

"Why?" San asked, standing up from his seat.

"The doctor's talking nonsense and it's driving us nuts." Seonghwa replied, Yeosang was now standing behind him.

"I'll be there in a moment." San answered, making the two elders leave the room. Yunho looked down at Jongho and nodded to him, telling him that he could stand up again, which he did.

"He'll probably kill me one day.." Jongho said, looking at the door where Seonghwa had just been.

"There's a way.. whether you did it or not, you can be safe." San said, looking at Jongho.

Mingi had stayed in the room with Hongjoong as the doctor had started hallucinating, his fever being over fourty-two Celsius now. Hongjoong being the son of a doctor had learned a few things, and they ran an ice cold bath, filling the bathtub with ice from the cafeteria. When Yeosang, Seonghwa, Yunho and San returned all of them helped carry the doctor into the bathtub while Hongjoong started doing CPR on him so his heart wouldn't stop from the sudden cold water he was lowered into. After three minutes they got Dr. Lee out of the ice bath and Hongjoong started to dry his clothes as much as possible. After almost ten minutes of drying the water off Dr. Lee, Mingi stopped Hongjoong to check the doctor's temperature again. It had gone up.

"All your showing off is useless." Seonghwa snarled at Hongjoong.

"I'll take responsibility!" Hongjoong yelled, obviously frustrated with the thought of losing yet another life.

"How? What has gone right since we started listening to you? If we had caught Jongho earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Seonghwa yelled back, making Hongjoong clench his fist but not going any further. Everyone took a moment to calm down and most of them had sat down. San and Seonghwa being the only ones to stand up.

"I found Jongho." San said, looking around at his fellow students.

Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Yeosang entered the hallway that would lead them down to the detention room that Wooyoung had been locked up in before he left. On the bed sat Jongho, he looked up when he heard footsteps.

"What happened? Did you surrender, Choi?" Seonghwa asked, looking through the glass to see Jongho.

"Is this what you call trying to escape from a crazy bitch?" Jongho questioned, not lifting his gaze from the floor to Seonghwa.

"To be honest, if there was a murderer out of the seven of us, wouldn't it be you? You have the closest profile to a criminal. You're violent, cowardly and dirty." Jongho finally raised his head to look at Seonghwa.

Seonghwa let out a small chuckle. "What makes you think you're so safe?" Seonghwa spat at the maknae. Jongho raises his hands in surrender, looking back at Seonghwa.

"Living organisms evolve? Yeah right... How are any of you different from a witch hunter?" Jongho asked, looking Seonghwa directly in the eyes. The comment made Seonghwa's blood boil and he started slamming his shoulder against the door, trying to open it, but it didn't budge one bit. Jongho had placed two door stoppers into the doorframe, making it only possible to open door from the inside. Jongho let out a small laugh as Seonghwa kept struggling with the door until he took a step back and swung the steel pipe in his hands at the glass, but the glass wasn't breaking as Seonghwa expected. It was bulletproof glass.

After a few minutes of Seonghwa attacking the door like a mad man, he took a deep breath and left, Yeosang following him quietly. Hongjoong walked closer to the door after the two had left.

"Is this San's idea?" Hongjoong asked. Jongho let out a chuckle before standing up and walking over to the door to stand in front of Hongjoong.

"Hongjoong. I'm really disappointed in you." Jongho said as he looked the older in the eyes.

Seonghwa entered the nursing room to see San cleaning the floor after water had been spilled everywhere from the ice bath and Yunho was cleaning up the old sheets from the bed.

"Choi San! What do you think you're doing? Did you lock him up or are you protecting him?" Seonghwa questioned the younger male in front of him, obviously not happy with the situation as he didn't get to beat up Jongho as he wanted to.

"The guy you think is guilty is locked up, so you're safe. Isn't that enough?" San asked, looking bored as always.

"What?" Seonghwa questioned.

"What's the problem? You wanted to bash his brain out, but you now can't?" San asked knowing very well that was exactly what Seonghwa had wanted to do. The oldest let out a groan and swung the pipe at the locker beside him, making an indent in it before leaving the room in anger. Hongjoong entered the same moment and walked over to sit on a chair in the corner in the back of the room.

After some time and as the night was coming closer to morning,everyone had headed back to their own rooms, all except for Yunho who was staying with Dr. Lee, and Hongjoong who was now standing outside of the detention room again. Jongho was laying on the bed when he heard someone approach him, based on the fact that the person wasn't screaming at him yet, he guessed it to be Hongjoong.

"Hongjoong... do a favour will you? Show Mingi the pictures I took of him." Jongho said as he was now sitting up on the bed looking at Hongjoong through the glass of the door.

"He saw them already. You were there."

"Properly. Without getting his emotions involved. It's not difficult.. If you do me this favour, I'll forgive you for hunting me."

**28th of December,** **12:04 AM**

Hongjoong walked into Mingi's room after knocking, holding a black photo album in his hand. He didn't say anything, he simply extended his arm with the album for Mingi to take it, but the younger didn't, he simply turned his back to Hongjoong.

"Look at it one more time." Hongjoong told him.

"I did."

"Properly. Please.." This made Mingi turn around to face him again. The younger took the album and opened it to see the pictures Jongho had taken of him, Hongjoong went to stand on the other side of the room, giving Mingi some space to look through the pictures once more.

Mingi looked through the pictures and felt a tear escaping the corner of his eye, rolling down his cheek before he wiped it away with the back of his hand. He closed the photo album and turned around to face Hongjoong, silently sobbing to himself while sinking to his knees, holding the album against his chest.

"Mingi.." Hongjoong rushed to his side when he saw him on the ground, sobbing. The elder kneeled down in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Mingi.. I'm sorry, I was wrong.. stop looking at it.." Hongjoong went to take the album from Mingi's hands, but the younger stopped him, holding the album close like it was his only life line. Mingi was full on crying now in front of the older and Hongjoong didn't know what to do to comfort him, so he gently wrapped his arms around him, stroking his back as a way to calm him down.

Mingi's crying slowly faded and both of them rose to their feet, Mingi was looking out the window from his room while Hongjoong looked at him worried.

"Are you okay...?" Hongjoong asked concerned.

Mingi let out a sigh before answering. "It's just... I think I was happy back then. I didn't know anything. I smiled. I don't know if I'll be able to smile like that again..." When he finished speaking he walked over to his bed to sit down, seeing Hongjoong was walking towards the door to leave.

"Thank you... Tell Jongho I said thank you." Mingi said his voice was still raw from crying. Hongjoong nodded and left the room heading for the nursing room instead to check up on Dr. Lee's fever.

"How is he doing..?" Hongjoong asked when he entered the nursing room, looking at Yunho who was tending the doctor.

"I'm not sure, but he keeps sweating.." Yunho said, looking over his shoulder to face Hongjoong.

"When someone has a fever, sweating is a good sign." Hongjoong told the younger, while placing a hand on his shoulder. Yunho took the ear thermometer that was placed on the table beside him, and checked Dr. Lee's temperature, the result was good as the doctor's fever had gone down a bit already. Hongjoong couldn't help the smile that made it onto his face as he high-fived Yunho, both of them smiling like idiots.

**28th of December,** **9:28 AM**

The light was shining through the windows to Seonghwa's room indicating a new day had begun. Seonghwa was still sleeping in his bed, a blanket pulled up to his chest.

" _Not that... Mum... Mum... It's not me. Mum.._ " Seonghwa mumbled in his sleep, his breathing heavy until he stopped sleep talking first then did his breathing return to normal. Seconds later Seonghwa opened his eyes, looking around the room before sitting up and letting out a sigh, rubbing his teary eyes.

Yunho was looking through the surveillance videos when he saw a recording from the backyard the night the teacher had disappeared. Since it was dark it was hard to make out the two people on the screen, but Yunho could see one of them did a throw over on the other, assuming it was the teacher. Yunho got up from his chair in the nursing room and stood in the middle of the floor to act out his theory. The teacher had done an overthrow of whoever killed him, and the person who killed him must have landed on the left side of their back. After that the criminal would most likely have stabbed the teacher from below. Dr. Lee let out a groan as he woke up from his sleep, now fully conscious again and his fever gone, this caught Yunho's attention as he walked over to Dr. Lee.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Yunho asked. The doctor looked up at him with a small smile on his face.

"Yes.. I have no strength but I feel okay." Dr. Lee smiled, showing off his pearl white teeth. Yunho nodded and told Dr. Lee that he would get some breakfast for him.

Yunho went into the cafeteria and saw Hongjoong already making some porridge.

"The doctor is awake." Announced the younger, making Hongjoong smile to himself as his efforts from last night indeed had paid off.

"The porridge is almost done." Hongjoong said, stirring it around in the pot. Yunho went to stir it for Hongjoong when the older went to grab some bowls.

"About the teacher... I think he was stabbed from below. The criminal may have blood on their clothes.." Yunho trailed off. Hongjoong nodded and told him they'd talk about it later while he poured some of the porridge into a bowl for Yunho to give Dr. Lee.

On the way back to the nursing room Yunho saw San, the later asked how the doctor was doing and Yunho told him his temperature was back to normal before asking if San had finished the rescue signal.

"Yes, I'm going to try it out in a bit." San said, a very slight hint of excitement in his voice. Yunho nodded and started to walk back to the nursing room with Dr. Lee's breakfast before it got cold. When he entered the room he saw Dr. Lee was struggling to get his button up shirt on and went to help him. Yunho saw a huge bruise of various colours on the left side of the doctor's back. The exact same kind of bruise he had seen on Wooyoung's back.

"Is it that bad?" Dr. Lee asked, seeing Yunho must have noticed the bruise on his back, which he had told the students was from when he slipped on some ice outside.

"Yeah, a little.. We should be able to make off campus contact soon, so hang in there." Yunho told Dr. Lee as he finished helping him with the shirt.

"I heard the phone lines were down?" Dr Lee asked, confused.

"We made a rescue signal." Yunho told the doctor while placing the breakfast he had fetched for him on the table.

Mingi was standing out in the backyard, looking at the teacher whose body was still half covered in snow, Hongjoong had seen him from inside the building and walked out to him.

"Song Mingi. What the hell are you doing out here?" Hongjoong asked, stopping beside Mingi to look at their teacher as well.

"Why did he take it out...? They usually leave the knife in the body, like in the movies... If they take it out, it's because they want to hide the weapon." Mingi turned to look at the smaller male next to him. "Why would he take it out and leave it beside the victim?" Hongjoong couldn't deny Mingi's logic, it was indeed weird that the killer had left the knife by the victim instead of hiding it.

Hongjoong walked over to their dead teacher's body, moving some of the snow away from his stomach area and lifted the now half frozen fabric of his shirt, only to see a wound in the middle of his stomach just under his belly button, but it wasn't a stab wound, it was a gun shoot.

_The Chun Cheon Girl's High School murder is a serial killing._

_The murderer is still on the run._

_The police noticed that a car had fallen off a cliff, the murderer killed an officer and ran away._

San was looking around the kitchen of the cafeteria, searching for a lighter of some sort to ignite the rescue signal he had made, not paying much attention to the news being played on the radio about the serial killer who was still on the run. When he found a lighter he stood up from his kneeled down position and started heading for the roof of the building.

Dr. Lee had finished eating his breakfast and was walking around the hallways to stretch out his sore limbs from laying down for so long. He heard the sound of steel against steel and turned around to see Seonghwa dragging a steel pipe along the railing of the stairs.

"Are you okay? I thought you were dying last night." Seonghwa asked when he stopped in front of the doctor, almost sounding concerned, _almost_.

"I thought so too.." Dr. Lee let out a small chuckle.

"Your temperature was over forty-two Celsius and they say you can get brain damage over forty-one Celsius. You're really lucky, seeing as you weren't hurt in the car accident either."

"Yes. I guess I'm lucky." Dr. Lee smiled at the kid in front of him.

"Where are you going?" Seonghwa asked.

"Ahh... To get some exercise."

Seonghwa turned around and started dragging the pipe against the railing once again as he was leaving, telling the doctor not to over do it as they didn't want him sick again. Dr. Lee looked at Seonghwa's back as he left before he started walking too. Seonghwa ended up walking to the nursing room, and while he was swinging around the pipe in his hands it suddenly slipped and fell to the floor, rolling under the nursing bed. Seonghwa got down on all four to get his 'weapon' but noticed something under the mattress of the bed. He rose to his feet and lifted the blue mattress from the bed to find a white long sleeved shirt that was covered in blood around the front and on the sleeves.

_Now that time has passed, I'm trying to explain what happened._

_In a weird twist of fate, everything changed for the worse._

_Even the person who started it all had no control over it._

_It's because two mirrors were stood face to face._

_Darkness shines on darkness to create another darkness._

_A monster appears from the two facing mirrors._

_Hence another uncontrollable darkness is formed._

**28th of December, 10:13 AM**

San had finished setting up the six rescue signals he had made, each of them a hands distance away from the other, placed in the snow to keep them steady. San kneeled down to light up the cords that would set off the signals, but as he was about to light them up, he heard a helicopter flying nearby. He stood up and walked closer to see which direction it was headed and to his luck it was going to fly over the school. He ran back to the tubes placed in the snow to fire them off when he heard a voice behind him, telling him to put the lighter down. San looked over his shoulder to see Dr. Lee pointing a gun straight at his head. San stood up while having hidden one of the rescue signals behind his back along with the lighter. He aimed the signal at Dr. Lee from behind his back, so he wouldn't notice it. San pressed the lighter and a small flame appeared but the wind killed the flame before the cord to the signal could ignite and fire off. Dr. Lee kept his gun pointed at San, breathing heavily from walking up the many levels of stairs.

"As you can see I'm a mess. I'm tired and I've lost patience. I'll tell you one last time, put that down." Dr. Lee nodded towards the things San was hiding behind his back and the younger dropped it into the snow, San's face held an amused smirk as he looked at the doctor in front of him.

_It was a doppelgänger._

_I met another version of me, who would die after we had faced each other._

The helicopter had now passed the school and was a few kilometres aways, all hope of rescue gone with it.

Wooyoung and Jun had been walking in the snow since the sun had risen, they were now getting closer to the school when Wooyoung stopped walking and turned to Jun, while pointing in the direction of the school that was now visible from where they stood.

"Okay! To a place with hot baths and where coffee awaits... To paradise!" Wooyoung exclaimed excitedly, looking at Jun with a big smile, which the older returned before they started running in the direction of the school that was approximately three kilometres away from them.


	2. Asura the demigod

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever heard of Susin High?  
> No? Well let me give you a quick briefing then. Susin High is an elite boarding school attended by the top 1% of students in South Korea, located in an isolated area in the mountains. Their impressive performance are the result of constant pressure and strict punishment from the teachers. The students may not leave the school, and if they do so they will be expelled. They are expected to study at all times, including weekends. Furthermore their only vacation is the 8 days from Christmas Eve to the 1st day of the new year. During this period the students are free to leave the school and do as they wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically an Ateez version of the K-drama; 화이트 크리스마스.  
> I apologise in advance for any gramatical errors as English isn't my first language.

**_“I’m a serial killer.”_ **

_ Snow had started falling three days prior and most lawns and places people didn’t step foot on was covered in snow. The streets and sidewalks however were all cleared of the small amount of snow that had fallen. The streets were buzzing with busy people leaving from work and kids walking home from school. The sun shined brightly in the light blue sky and the weather wasn’t too cold, but cold enough for the untouched snow not to melt. _

**_“On Christmas Eve, I was exhausted. It’s difficult killing people, even those who deserve to die. I didn’t find it exciting anymore. I no longer felt the responsibility.”_ **

_ Lee Dongwook walked on the sidewalk along the road in the middle of the city. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a red tie. He was caught up in his own thoughts when a taxi honked at him. The driver pulled over to ask Dongwook if he had called a taxi. _

**_“The eighth useless life.”_ **

_ Dongwook entered the taxi and told the driver to take him to Pungam reservoir, which made the taxi driver question his destination, but shook it off as many of his clients had some weird destinations once in a while. _

_ Before Dongwook could close the door, a hand grabbed the door and outside the car stood a police officer who called out Dongwook’s name, to confirm that the man inside the taxi was the one they were looking for. _

**_“When my name was called, I was actually relieved.”_ **

_ The taxi driver got out of his seat and started complaining to the officer about how he was trying to make a living here, and the police had just taken one of his clients, be it a criminal or not. A second officer opened the door on the other side of Dongwook and helped him out of the car. _

**_“I accepted my end. My mission had not been completed, but I accepted that.”_ **

_ The officers handcuffed Dongwook and helped him into the police car instead. They started driving towards the station they had come from, which were on the other side of the mountains, about an hours drive away from where they had found the criminal. _

_ One officer was driving the car up the curved road while the other sat beside Dongwook on the backseat. He was currently on the phone with his chief, telling him how they had caught the murderer and how naïve he looked, his voice filled with amusement and excitement. _

_ Dongwook was looking out the window not paying attention to anything the officer beside him was saying. Dongwook’s attention was back on the road when he felt the car slip on the snow covered road and crashed through the road's railing, which was there to prevent the cars from driving over the edge of the mountains. However, it didn’t stop the car from falling off the road and onto the ground 200 meters below them. The officer who was driving was thrown through the front window and onto the ground in front of the car from the impact, and the officer beside Dongwook had been thrown halfway through the front window. _

_ Dongwook had been knocked unconscious from the accident, but soon woke up to feel blood running down his forehead. His body was sore of course, but to his luck he didn’t feel like he had broken anything. Dongwook got out of the car and limped to the front of it to see the two dead officers. He walked over to the one laying in the snow and fetched the keys to the handcuffs from his pocket, unlocking them to free his hands again. _

_ After his hands were free from the handcuffs he took the small gun from the officer’s jacket, hiding it in the inside pocket of his suit. He looked around for a moment before he started walking. The snow had started falling again. _

_ Dongwook had been walking for at least four hours now and the sun had disappeared from the sky, making the air a lot colder. _

**_“At the time, I didn’t know that those events all held meaning. If the story seems to have no end, you need to finish it yourself.”_ **

_ Dongwook was exhausted to say the least, he was tired, cold and hungry, but he kept walking until he was out of the forest he had been walking through. He took a deep breath before falling to his knees looking around the area. He took the gun from his inner pocket where he had put it earlier and raised it to the side of his head. When he was about to pull the trigger his eyes caught sight of faint lights in the distance. _

**_“2000 years ago, three wise men followed a star to find Jesus. Today, that light led me to them.”_ **

_ Dongwook stood back up and started walking in the direction of the lights and after a few more hours of walking he was in front of the gates to a school. He was breathing heavily as he pressed the call button on the side of the gate. _

**_“I realised that all the coincidences that had occurred were part of a destiny that had been determined long ago. Whether this would be the end of my beginning or the beginning of my end, would reveal itself soon enough.”_ **

"Should we go back down?" Dongwook asked San while he was still pointing the gun at the student in front of him. The cold December wind blowing San's dark and blonde locks in all directions.

Mingi and Hongjoong had walked back inside the building after they discovered that the teacher didn't die from getting stabbed, but from getting shot, both of the equally perplexed.

"He didn't get stabbed with the knife, so why was it there?" Mingi pondered as he walked beside Hongjoong up the stairs.

"To hide the  _ real _ weapon?" Hongjoong said, but it sounded more like a question to Mingi.

"It would've been better if they had just hid the body in the first place." Hongjoong stopped walking when Mingi finished talking and turned to face him.

"Unless they  _ couldn't _ hide it."

"Why make it look like they had used a knife then?" Mingi questioned, not really following where Hongjoong was going with this.

"Only the murderer has the real weapon." Hongjoong said and the same moment Yunho came racing down the second set of stairs in front of them, completely of our breath from running.

"I have something to tell you." Yunho said between heavy breaths while looking at Hongjoong. The older walked up to Yunho and asked him what was going on, to which Yunho asked if he remembered the bruise Wooyoung had had on his back after the teacher had caught him. Hongjoong nodded slightly confused, but Yunho proceeded to tell him that the doctor had the exact same kind of bruise.

"The teacher threw the murderer to the ground before he died." Yunho said, hoping Hongjoong was thinking the same as himself. A moment later Seonghwa appeared from the nursing room which was only a couple of feet away from where they stood. He held a shirt in his hand that was stained with blood. He lifted the shirt for everyone to see, his bottom lip slightly trembling. Hongjoong took the soft fabric from the oldest’ hands before looking at Seonghwa and Yunho.

"We have to find the doctor." Hongjoong said before he started running down the stairs, heading for the teacher's dorms.

Jongho was sitting on the bed in the detention room when he heard footsteps approach him. He stood up and saw the doctor along with San.

"What is it?" Jongho questioned while looking confused at the two people in front of him. San's face held a stern but at the same time emotionless expression.

"We came to open the door for you." The doctor smiled while answering Jongho's question.

"Huh? Why? Can I go out? What about Seonghwa?" Jongho asked.

"We know who killed the teacher." Dongwook answered the maknae.

"Really? Who did it then?" Jongho asked, surprised by the fact they had suddenly figured out who the murderer was.

"Be patient, you'll find out soon." Dongwook said. Jongho bent down to move the pieces of wood that he had stuck into the door, so it couldn't be opened from the outside. Dongwook said San's name, gesturing for him to open the door when Jongho stood back up. Jongho walked out of the room still asking about who the murderer was until he saw the gun in Dongwook's hands. The maknae's eyes widened slightly and he swallowed nervously at the sight.

When Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho and Mingi- which they had found on the way, reached the stairs that led down to the library, Hongjoong saw San walking with Jongho trailing behind him.

"San! Did you set him free? Where's the doctor?" Hongjoong asked before his eyes traveled to the doctor who was trailing behind them, gun in his good hand while his left arm was still in a sling.

"Were you looking for me?" Dongwook asked, looking in Hongjoong's direction while lifting his gun so everyone could see it. Hongjoong took a small step back and Seonghwa's eyes were bigger than plates when he saw the gun.

"Good morning. Everyone's here? We're missing one... Who is it?" Dongwook asked. None of them knew where Yeosang was, so they all headed into the resting area where Dongwook sat down on a brown leather chair and the rest of the students sat in front of him in a half circle, no one daring to make a move or speak up.

It was silent for a few minutes until Mingi walked down the stairs with a cup of coffee for Dongwook, like he had asked for. Mingi sat down beside Hongjoong after placing the coffee on the table in front of the killer.

"I should thank you guys. Thanks for last night, especially you Hongjoong. I know you saved me, I'm really grateful for that." Dongwook said in a slightly amused voice while looking at the boy he was talking to. Hongjoong looked at the ground which made Dongwook speak again.

"Don't be like that. Ill people should be treated, whether they're friend or foe. That's what you learned, right?" Hongjoong didn't answer him, so instead Yunho spoke up.

"Why did you kill the teacher?" Yunho asked while looking at the killer in front of him. Dongwook leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh.

"The teacher... If only there wasn't a tv in his room. The police released my photo.. It's not that obvious, but he could soon have realised that it was me. ' _ The serial killer looks a little like the man who was in an accident.. _ ' I hope you can understand." Dongwook answered, having a false expression of hurt on his face.

"You killed someone. How can we understand that?" Hongjoong spoke up, aggravated from the things Dongwook was saying.

"Think of it from my perspective, then you'll understand. I attacked him with a gun, but my arm...-" Dongwook started, but Seonghwa moved slightly in his seat which made the killer grab the gun from the table and point it straight at the student's head. Seonghwa raised both his hands above his head in surrender, slightly shaking from the situation.

"As you can see, I'm not feeling very well. I'm sensitive and may not be as generous as I usually am. So therefore don't try anything stupid. Understood?" Dongwook looked around at everyone with a stern expression as he spoke, his gaze landing on Seonghwa at last. Seonghwa nodded his head quickly, his hands still in the air, not daring to make a move.

Dongwook placed the gun back down on the table and leaned back in his chair. Seonghwa too lowered his hands and placed them neatly on his lap.

"We're going to find the lost sheep. We may lose many sheep in trying to find that one, but we still have to try. Right?" Dongwook said, referring to Yeosang as the missing sheep, seeing as he was nowhere to be found at the moment.

"Choi San and Jung Yunho, group one. Choi Jongho and Park Seonghwa, group two. Kim Hongjoong and Song Mingi, group three. One person from each group will leave to find Yeosang, and the rest of you will stay here and be the hostages. If San doesn't return Yunho will be punished and the same goes for the rest." Dongwook explained while the students each looked at their assigned partner, some happier than others.

"What's the punishment?" Yunho asked carefully while looking at their capturer. Dongwook was quiet for a moment before a small smile made it onto his lips, he looked up at the students in front of him and chose to state who would be searching for Yeosang instead of answering Yunho's question.

"Those who will search are... San, Jongho and Hongjoong. You three leave and search for your departed friend now."

"What if we don't find him?" San asked, looking at Dongwook.

"I haven't thought about that yet... I know the school's big, but I'm sure you'll find him. Unless you don't look for him on purpose that is.. But you'll find him for sure." Dongwook answered, looking back at the young student. The killer looked around and told the students they had until 12 o'clock to find Yeosang, then they should be back in the resting area where they were currently gathered.

"You know they won't come back! They could just hide." Seonghwa exclaimed, obviously not trusting Jongho to come back to save him from whatever punishment Dongwook had up his sleeve.

"You're right. It's a little unfair to the hostages.. That's why I prepared this. The hostages' last words. Beg or ask for them to come back. Let's start with Mingi." Dongwook smirked and averted his eyes to the tall male sitting beside Hongjoong. Mingi didn't say anything and just looked emotionlessly at the killer. This made Dongwook smile slightly before speaking again.

"Mingi, don't you think you trust Hongjoong a little too much? I know he's a good guy but with the situation at hand.. Plus, you tried to kill yourself.. ' _ Mingi tried to kill himself, he'll understand.'  _ What if he thinks that way?"

Mingi was still silent and didn't move at all as Dongwook talked. Hongjoong looked at the taller male beside him before whispering to him that he shouldn't worry because he'd definitely return. Dongwook looked at Seonghwa and told him to go ahead and beg for Jongho to return so he wouldn't be punished.

"This is stupid." Seonghwa exclaimed nervously while looking at Dongwook, the older simply smiled.

"Is that all you want to say?" Dongwook asked. Seonghwa turned to look at Jongho beside him, and Jongho looked back at the older.

"Jongho.." Seonghwa started nervously, but he didn't get to continue as Jongho interrupted him, telling him to just call him  _ Cameraman Choi _ as he normally would.

"You'll come back right..? I'm sorry about yesterday, but the situation... You understand, right?" Seonghwa asked anxiously, but the thought of Jongho not returning made him continue talking, trying to save himself at least.

"It wasn't just me, everyone else felt the same. Jongho.." Seonghwa was cut off by Dongwook who said his time was up as he wanted to move on to the next hostage.

"I know I'm bad! But I shouldn't have to die. You'll come right?" Seonghwa continued, ignoring Dongwook as he told him to stop for the second time.

"Jongho..."

"What would  _ you _ do?" Jongho asked Seonghwa while looking at him with a bored face.

"Next, Yunho." Dongwook said looking in the direction of said student. Yunho looked at San for a moment before looking back down at the floor.

"I'm sorry." Yunho simply said, but the sincerity in his voice told everyone in the room that he meant it. Dongwook looked confused at them for a moment before meeting eyes with San. The killer took a glance at the clock on the wall and reminded everyone they should be back by 12 p.m. They had 45 minutes from now.

San stood up from the couch and made eye contact with Hongjoong, trying to tell him something without the killer noticing. However Dongwook did notice, and he told San to stay back as a hostage as Yunho would go instead. San looked at Dongwook for a moment then sat back down, not bothering to argue with an armed killer.

Jongho, Yunho and Hongjoong left the room and started searching for Yeosang. Yunho ran around the hallways on the second floor, Jongho went to the area near the cafeteria and Hongjoong went to Wooyoung's room to see if he could find Yeosang through the CCTV on the younger's computer, but he couldn't.

San, Seonghwa and Mingi were seated in the library with Dongwook when San broke the silence that had been swallowing them ever since the others left.

"Why did you switch us? You didn't think I'd return?" San asked.

"Instincts. A signal went off in my head telling me it would be dangerous to send you." Dongwook explained a slight smile on his face.

Seonghwa was bouncing his legs on the floor and eyes shifting around the room, unable to stay still with the nerves that were slowly eating him from the inside. He kept looking over his shoulder to see the clock, hoping Jongho would return soon.

"How big is the space that separates life and death?" Dongwook questioned no one in particular.

"I was going to kill a taxi driver just before the police caught me. Just as I was about to leave the police showed up. How big was the space between life and death for the driver? What about you now? That space...".

There were only mere seconds left until the clock would hit 12 p.m, but no one had yet returned to the resting area. Dongwook had started a countdown ten seconds before the clock would hit twelve o’clock. When Yunho ran through the door Dongwook had gotten to eight, he continued his countdown and got to six when Hongjoong ran down the stairs that lead down to the area, now the only one to return was Jongho.

"five.. four.. three.. two.... one..... zero." Dongwook ended the countdown and pointed his gun towards Seonghwa's head as he said the last two numbers, then the clock hit twelve. Seonghwa was shaking noticeably in his seat and his breathing was rushed. When Dongwook started to press his finger against the trigger, they heard the door to the library open. Seonghwa turned around to see Jongho standing in the doorway, and let out a restrained sob while turning back to look at the floor, relief washed over him when he realised he wouldn't die  _ today _ .

Hongjoong, Yunho and Jongho sat back down as the killer started talking. They had been searching every possible place Yeosang could be, but he wasn't there. It was like he had disappeared into thin air.

"You didn't find him then? Couldn't find or wouldn't find? Or found him and hid him?" Dongwook questioned, not fully believing the students wouldn't be able to find Yeosang as they knew the school like the back of their hands.

"Maybe he saw your gun and hid himself. If he's determined to remain hidden, we can't find him." Hongjoong defended.

"I guess that's true.. Then what should we do?" Dongwook let out a sigh and played slightly with the gun in his right hand.

"Not all the players have arrived, hence we can't start the game." Dongwook said in a tired voice and San asked fearlessly- as always, what kind of game he was referring to. Dongwook didn't give him a useful answer, he only told him it'd be a really fun game.

"We never said we'd play any game." Hongjoong said in a stern voice.

"Wrong. You did agree to it. When you accepted me here on Christmas Eve. Anyway, what should we do then? Forfeit the game or just carry out a small penalty? Who should we give the penalty to?" Dongwook wondered out loud while looking at all the students individually.

"The leader?" He asked, pointing his gun at Hongjoong.

"The team's ace?" San.

"The player with problems?... I guess a handsome guy makes a good sacrifice." The killer said as he pointed his gun at Mingi. Hongjoong's eyes widened and he stood up from his seat to protect his younger friend, but Yunho held him back for doing anything irrational.

"Hongjoong." Yunho warned.

"Are you crazy?! What game? What sacrifice?!" Hongjoong yelled at the killer in front of him, anger taking over him.

"Do you think holding a gun makes you God? You're just crazy! You murderer!" Hongjoong screamed while Yunho struggled to hold the fierce little guy back.  _ For someone his size he sure is strong _ , Yunho thought to himself. Dongwook had an amused smile on his face again as he was now pointing the gun at Hongjoong.

"I'm disappointed. Someone who displays hostility is so easy." This made Hongjoong even more angry, but Yunho managed to make him sit back down on the couch, before he could do something stupid.

"I'm not doing this for fun either. If the first rule isn't strict, the game can't be played. If you want, I can give the penalty to you. Is that what you want?" Dongwook asked Hongjoong as he raised the gun towards the student's head. Everyone was silent, waiting for Dongwook's next move as he pulled the hammer of the gun back, getting ready to fire at the younger boy.

When he was about to shoot, he heard a yawn echo throughout the room. Dongwook lifted his gaze to see Yeosang on his left, sitting up on the steel frames that was holding up the roof. The frames were thick enough for the young boy to sit there comfortably or in Yeosang's case, take a nap while having his AirPods in. Hongjoong let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding when Dongwook lowered the gun, everyone turned their head towards the sound and saw Yeosang sitting on the steel frames in the left corner of the room. Yeosang stretched his arms above his head then climbed down the stairs. When he was back on the ground he turned around and took out his AirPods. He lifted his gaze and noticed the guys and Dongwook sitting there. The killer let out a laugh of disbelief at the situation, they had been looking all over the school for the boy, but he had been in the same room as them the whole time.

Everyone had moved to the cafeteria to get some food, the tables had been placed in a T-shape, Dongwook sitting at the small end of the tables, Yeosang a few feet away on his left, handcuffed to the table, and everyone else seated beside each other at the longer end of the tables. Everyone had a tray with food in front of them except Yeosang. Dongwook motioned for them to begin eating, which they did. After a few minutes of silence Hongjoong spoke up.

"You want to play a game? What kind of game?"

"Is that a real gun?" Yeosang asked before Dongwook could answer Hongjoong's question, eyeing the gun placed on the table. Dongwook looked at Yeosang then placed his cup of tea down on the table.

"Right, you must all have a lot of questions. How about this, let's have an Q&A session. Ask a question each, and I will tell you the truth when answering." Dongwook said while raising his right hand as a promise to tell the truth.

"Can we discuss the questions?" San asked.

"No, you can not. Now, who should we start with? Yeosang?" Dongwook looked at the young student on his left and picked up the gun.

"You want to know if this is real? Is that your question?" Dongwook asked. Yeosang thought for a moment before changing his question.

"How many people did you kill?" Yeosang asked.

"Eight, including the teacher." Dongwook answered truthfully.

"Why did you kill him?" Mingi asked.

"These questions are boring.." Dongwook whined, hoping the students would have more interesting questions than that.

"Then.. Why did you kill the high school girls from Chuncheon?" Mingi asked again.

"They were impolite, so ill mannered and offensive. They laughed, were so loud and swore too. I can bet you this. I bet the other people on the bus that day felt the same way I did. ' _ I wish those girls would disappear, if only they'd leave'. _ So I thought about it.. Those girls being there.. Living on with their lives.. Is that beneficial or not?" Dongwook answered then looked around for the next person to ask a question.

"What the game will you play with us?" Hongjoong asked, determined to get some sort of answer about the game Dongwook had talked so much about.

"Remember the letters you received? Who sent the letters? That's the game. You or me, when one of us finds the answer, game over."

"What happens if we lose?" Yunho asked nervously.

"Right, that's really important. If you find out first, I will punish the sender. If I find out first, of those who received the letter... The person who committed the worst crime will be punished."

"What if they confess?" Seonghwa piped up for the first time after his two near death experiences.

"Then I win." Dongwook answered matter of factly.

"That's not fair." Seonghwa groaned.

"It's not? Well life itself is unfair."

"If..-" Seonghwa didn't get to say anymore as Dongwook moved on to the next question.

"How will you find out who sent the letters?" Jongho asked while looking at the killer in front of him.

"By having a conversation with each of you individually. Ahh, but don't worry, it won't be any different to meeting a counsellor. I'm not going to torture you." Dongwook let out a laugh at the end before looking to San who was the only one left who had yet to ask a question.

"How many bullets do you have?" San asked, looking at the male right in front of him with a bored expression. Dongwook's face fell for a moment, not expecting him to ask that kind of question.

"The number of bullets...? I have four bullets in total. I had six, the first was used as a scare, and the second killed the teacher... Worst case scenario.. Three of you will live." Dongwook looked around at the students as he answered San's question.

"Should we move on then?" Dongwook asked, wanting to start his sessions to find the one who sent the letters as fast as possible.

Dongwook had locked everyone except for Jongho up in the teachers dorms so they couldn't roam around while he was talking to Jongho. The six guys entered the teachers’ dorm and started looking for any kind of weapon they could use to defend themselves with.

They had found various things and placed them all on a table in the resting area of the dorm. Hongjoong had found some spray bottles containing various things such as deodorant and air freshener. When he went to place them on the table San stood at, the younger spoke up.

"Why did you return?" San asked, not turning around to look at Hongjoong.

"What?" Hongjoong asked confused.

"It would've been good if all three of you hadn't returned." San said as he stood up straight again.

"Then all of you would've died." Hongjoong argued back, not happy with San's sudden statement.

"We wouldn't die. Three of us? If we got lucky, four including Yeosang. If four people were hiding he wouldn't know what to do." San stated but never looked at his fellow student.

"How do you know?" Seonghwa asked, baffled by San's messed up logic.

"I mean he's a crazy murderer... He doesn't think logically." Yunho piped up from behind San.

"No.." Mingi started, cutting Yunho off and gaining everyone's attention.

"San could be right. He was careful in choosing the pairs. He formed those pairs so he knew that the person who went to search for Yeosang would return." Mingi finished, understanding San's logic.

"I can understand you and Hongjoong, Mingi. But what about Seonghwa and Jongho?" Yunho asked Mingi.

"He knows they don't get along. Jongho hates him, so he can't run. If he doesn't go back, Seonghwa will die. Making him think that he could be the one responsible for killing him. Running away equals murder." Mingi explained to Yunho.

Everyone had taken a seat around the small glass table placed in the middle of the room. Seonghwa broke the silence first, asking why Dongwook had chosen Jongho first.

"Isn't it just random?" Yunho asked.

"If he was this clever in forming the pairs, he wouldn't pick just anyone as the first to counsel." Seonghwa said while fiddling with his hands.

"Then why Jongho?" Yunho asked, looking at Seonghwa.

"He knows he sent the letters." Seonghwa muttered.

"Not that again.." Hongjoong groaned while throwing his head back to rest on the back of the couch, rubbing his face with both his hands.

"It was my mistake to think he killed the teacher, but he's the only one who's connected to Lee Taeyong. The doctor has a hunch, but no evidence. Counselling? I bet he's talking him into confessing right now. ' _ I'll let you live, so just own up to it _ .'" Seonghwa snarled before standing up as his anger took over him yet again.

"This game is fucking ridiculous!" Seonghwa yelled, his back turned to the other students.

"Thank god you didn't send the letters. You'd raise your hand and say you did it before he even asked. Right?" Mingi muttered, but still loud enough for Seonghwa to hear it. Seonghwa turned around and slowly started walking towards Mingi. "Wouldn't you? You will die if you get caught. Would you be willing to die for everyone else? Don't act like you're so heroic."

"You're right. I couldn't do that, but I wouldn't be able to betray everyone as light heartedly as you." Mingi said in a bored tone while looking up at Seonghwa who stood in front of him.

"If you cry while betraying, does that show  _ loyalty _ ?" Seonghwa asked sarcastically, while staring down Mingi.

Yunho took a deep breath before muttering quietly. "How did things become this way?"

Jongho was sitting handcuffed to the bed in the nursing room, Dongwook standing in front of him and the gun placed on a small table behind him. Jongho was talking about various irrelevant topics and Dongwook simply listened to him. The doctor smiled slightly and placed a cup of tea beside Jongho on the bed then went to sit down at the desk, writing down a note about Jongho's behaviour so far.  _ Compulsive gossiping _ .

Jongho had been talking nonstop since he had entered the nursing room with Dongwook. It was first now that the killer called his name for the third time, that he caught the student's attention.

"Yes?" Jongho replied to the doctor calling his name.

"Can we be silent for five minutes?" Dongwook asked. Jongho let out an embarrassed laugh and scratched the back of his neck.

"Ahh.. Am I going on and on..? Sometimes, words just flow out like a waterfall..-" Jongho was cut off by Dongwook shushing him. Jongho lowered his head and placed his hands on his lap, not wanting to anger Dongwook. The doctor took a sip of his own tea before placing it back down then looking at Jongho.

"You're a good storyteller. You know how to begin and when to change the topic, you mix in humour as well. But I can't laugh at your words, because you seem so desperate." Dongwook said, still looking at the boy in front of him.

"Ahh the current situation..." Jongho mumbled.

"Right.. You must be nervous, I understand. Like you said, it's not often that you sit with a serial killer but... Do you know why the way you talk is so desperate? Because it's your camouflage, listening and talking.. Does your disability still bother you?" Dongwook asked. Jongho swallowed the lump that had built up in his throat as Dongwook spoke and he kept his eyes on his hands. For a few minutes Jongho didn't say anything he just kept playing with his hands and avoiding the doctor's eyes.

"It was when I was six..." Jongho muttered, catching Dongwook's attention.

"At our pre-school concert..Our class put on a music show, and I was in charge of the cowbell. All I had to do was shake it on time, no tone, no rhythm. Just one shake. One time at the end of the first verse and the end of the second verse... My dad filmed it and we were 15 in my class, we all stood the same, but only my face was different.." Jongho sniffed slightly and cleared his throat as his emotions were taking over.

"You said I was desperate.. That's how I looked then, desperate... It was nothing special, no one would notice if I didn't ring it but I was so nervous and kept looking around.. That's what being disabled is. It's nothing to anyone else, but I'm really desperate."

San was sitting with a can of air freshener in his hand, a noticeable sign on the side telling it's user that it's highly flammable. Hongjoong looked at the younger before asking if there's a way for them to overpower the killer.

"A few, but I don't know if they will work." San answered almost bored.

"The faster the better. He's a psychology expert, as time goes on we become more disadvantaged. Jongho's alone with him right now... It makes me nervous.." Hongjoong said while looking San in the eyes, and for the first time he noticed the genuine lack of emotions in San's eyes. San looked back at the can in his hands then proceeded to speak.

"I don't know about that, but I agree with attacking quickly. As time goes on, he will find out about the school system."

"How fast then?" Hongjoong asked.

"Tonight." San answered determined, to which Hongjoong nodded softly in agreement.

San looked around at the others, sat beside him and spoke again.

"The only place we can predict his movements is in the cafeteria. He will sit like he did earlier, at the small end of the table, someone handcuffed on his left and the rest of us on the other end of the table. When he puts the gun down... it's to eat."

Wooyoung and Jun were sitting outside their tent eating some ramen they had made. Not too long ago they had seen a sign which told them that Susin High was two kilometres away, both had been delighted to see they were getting closer to their safe haven, but at the same time they were exhausted from walking through the snow and the never ending cold.

"How much further to your school?" Jun asked, looking up from his ramen to look at the shorter boy in front of him.

"Hmm, I'm not sure.. I have no sense of direction or distance because of the snow." Wooyoung answered with his mouth full. Jun laughed at the sight and nodded at Wooyoung's words.

"What's that jewel?" Wooyoung asked as he had noticed a weird looking jewel on Jun's necklace.

"A gallstone." Jun answered while gently playing with the jewel around his neck.

"A gallstone? Like from inside your body!?" Wooyoung exclaimed a disgusted look on his face. "You're so fucking weird, man.."

"Whose is it? Is it yours?" Wooyoung asked, his curiosity over shading his disgust.

"It's just a lucky charm to protect me." Jun replied, rolling his eyes at the younger.

"Do you get afraid of things too? Ghosts?" Wooyoung asked teasingly as he saw a more vulnerable side of Jun he had never seen so far, it didn't seem like he was scared of anything this world could bring.

"Headaches." Jun replies sarcastically.

"Ayy.. You should take medicine to protect yourself from that." Wooyoung smirked at the older male in front of him. He took his spoon and got some soup on it before offering it to Jun while asking whose body the gallstone came from. Jun looked unimpressed at Wooyoung and shook his head as he wasn't going to tell nor accept the soup. Wooyoung shrugged his shoulders and slurped the soup himself.

"Hey! The soup...!" Jun exclaimed as that was the last bit there was left and he hadn't gotten any yet himself. Wooyoung quickly got on his feet and started running away, Jun following him close behind, while screaming a variation of creative names at the younger for drinking the last soup.

Dongwook walked over to the big window beside the nursing bed, looking out on the white scenery.

"When it doesn't rain on the plains of Africa, thousands of zebras gather by the river. At the river, a lion awaits them. The lion is only after one zebra among thousands, the weakest one. Injured or separated from its mother." Dongwook said as he kept looking out the window, but as Jongho was listening to him talk he heard the voice of Dongwook slowly fade out, he lightly touched his hearing aid and realised it was dead from battery as he couldn't hear anything anymore. Jongho looked at Dongwook's mouth as he kept talking and was walking to stand in front of the young boy. Jongho could lip-read a little of what Dongwook was saying but not everything fully.

"Imagine you're the injured zebra.. But no one knows it, not the lion and not the other zebras. What would you do..?" Dongwook asked.

"Why are you asking me that?" Jongho asked hesitantly, not sure if he had guessed what the doctor said correctly.

"The lion by the river and this situation, they're quite similar, right?" Dongwook asked, Jongho nodded slowly but not giving a definite answer to the doctor. Dongwook sighed then said they should finish up now and threw the key to the handcuffs to Jongho. The older man took the gun in his hand again as Jongho unlocked the handcuffs.

San had made a small device from the things they could find around the teacher's dorms, and was currently trying to put it in its place in front of the smoke alarm on the ceiling. The device was an air freshener that was tied together with a lighter and a timer to control when it would go off. When the timer goes off, the spray from the air freshener would go straight through the burning lighter, creating a big flame and right into the smoke alarm, hopefully setting it off.

Just as San was done setting everything up, Jongho had pressed the ID caller from the front door of the dorms, making everyone leave to go and see Jongho who was with the killer.

Dongwook stood behind Jongho and told him to open the door, but Jongho couldn't hear it because of his dead hearing aid, Hongjoong looked at Jongho and nodded towards the door as referring for him open it, which the maknae did.

At the killers orders everyone walked hand in hand to the cafeteria to get their dinner. Jongho was handcuffed on Dongwook's left side, while the rest of them sat at the end of the table. Just like San had predicted. Jongho looked around and tried to lip-read what Dongwook was saying, but it was hard when he couldn't see his face directly. Everyone sat down and the killer told them to put their hands on the table, which they did.

"Did the session go well?" San asked, to which Dongwook nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Thanks to you." Dongwook replied.

"What did you discuss?" San questioned.

"Psychologists and priests must keep their clients' privacy."

San nodded slowly before talking again.

"What if it's a tie? If neither you nor we can find out who sent the letters?"

"Then I'll be the loser. Today's the 28th, four days left. If you can hang in there until then, you win. Generous, right?.. Should I be more honest? There's only one way I can win, that's if the sender confesses." Dongwook said as he leaned back in his chair, Yunho listening intensely to what he was saying, but trying not to make it obvious.

"The sender, listen to me. If you stay silent, you can protect everyone, but you need to be confident the others won't tell on you. The other six of you who didn't send the letters, listen. When you find out who sent them, you may choose not to tell me. But again, you have to have faith that the sender won't confess to it. That's right.. Trust is the basis of this game. How much do you trust each other? You're the smartest in our country... But has anyone taught you about trust?" Dongwook smirked and placed his gun down as he started eating his meal.

Everyone was sitting quietly, only eating tiny bits of their meals as they knew what would be coming when the clock hit six p.m. Only three minutes left.

"This is strange.. I didn't think this would be an enjoyable meal, but I didn't expect it to be this tense. What is it?" Dongwook asked, catching everyone's attention. No one answered and Hongjoong lowered his spoon. Not many seconds later an alarm went off throughout the build and everyone except Jongho stood up at the sudden loud noise.

"Jongho! The gun!" Hongjoong yelled, but said male couldn't hear it, the alarm nor his elder yelling at him to grab the gun the killer had abandoned on the table as he stood up.

Hongjoong jumped over the table and Dongwook turned around to grab the gun, but Hongjoong tipped the table so it fell to the floor before he could get it. Jongho was now aware of the commotion going on around him, but he was too late to react, as Hongjoong jumped over the table the gun had been on and fell to the floor reaching for it. Before he could grab the gun, Dongwook took it and pointed it straight at the Hongjoong's forehead, the tip of the gun touching his head. Hongjoong closed his eyes not wanting to see when the killer pulled the trigger and ended his life.

**2017, December 28th, 6:02 PM**

Everyone stood frozen in their place and Jongho sat still handcuffed to the table that was now flipped to the side, gaze locked on his hands, realising what had just happened. They had set up a trap while he was having a session to get the gun from Dongwook. Hongjoong was frozen in his position on the floor, his arm keeping his upper body up, slightly shaking from the adrenaline running through his body. Dongwook smile slightly, a little amused by their failed plan. He retreated the gun from Hongjoong's head and laughed to himself while Hongjoong slowly got to his feet, legs still shaking.

"When the police caught me I thought it was all over. But the snowstorm, the accident and even right now, it seems like fate is on my side." Dongwook laughed.

"Anyways, we need to wrap up, so what should we do?" Dongwook asked with a sadistic smile on his face. He sat back down, as the students went to stand behind the long end of the table.

"Hmm.. Let's try to guess who's behind this. Who? Who planned this?" Dongwook looked between the students but no one spoke a word.

"You know.. I'm pretending to be calm, but my adrenaline's pumping right now. I didn't get to eat dinner and I almost smashed my forehead. Do you really think I'll tolerate silence in this situation?" Dongwook asked then pointed the gun at Seonghwa who was now shaking more than a chihuahua in the cold. "Who planned this?" Dongwook asked Seonghwa.

"D-don't ask m.. me.." Seonghwa stuttered out.

"Tell me on the count of three. One."

"W-why are you asking me?!" Seonghwa asked panicked, his eyes getting tearful at the position he was put in.

"Two."

"Ask someone else..?" Seonghwa begged defeated, a tear escaping down his cheek. Dongwook pulled down the hammer on the gun, ready to shoot the male if he didn't give him an answer on time.

"Three."

"Choi San!" Seonghwa yelled quickly after Dongwook had said ' _ three _ ', squeezing his eyes tightly. Seonghwa stood shaking in his spot, his hands clenching and cheeks wet from the tears that had escaped. Hongjoong let out a deep sigh as Seonghwa had given in to the killer's pressure.

"He started it..." Seonghwa mumbled. Dongwook averted his gaze to San who stood unfazed in the middle of the other students.

"I knew it." Dongwook said a small smile on his face as he leaned on the table.

San had been handcuffed to the stairs in the cafeteria as Dongwook had left with the others to escort them to the teacher's dorms where they would be locked up.

"What are you going to do? What will you do to San..?" Hongjoong asked, his voice cracking at the end at the thought of what their killer might do to the younger.

"Shouldn't it be a life for a life?" Dongwook asked, looking at Hongjoong in front of him.

"We didn't try to kill you, we just wanted the gun..." Hongjoong reasoned.

"Once you had my gun, I'd be weak. Then you'd report me to the police.. I'd be given a life sentence or executed, it's the same thing." Dongwook replies to the student in front of him.

"Go upstairs." Dongwook commanded, which they did. They all went inside the resting area they had been sitting in earlier. Seonghwa pushed Jongho to the couch before getting on top of him, grabbing his collar and throwing punch after punch at the maknae's face. Jongho didn't retaliate like he normally would, he just let Seonghwa take out his frustrations, knowing it was all his fault their plan had failed.

"It's all your fucking fault! You did it on purpose didn't you?! You took his side!" Seonghwa yelled at the maknae beneath him. Before Seonghwa could beat up Jongho even more, Hongjoong pulled him away from the maknae, the older throwing his arms around and kicking in the process trying to get out of Hongjoong's grip. Hongjoong pushed Seonghwa in Yunho's direction for him to take care of the oldest who was throwing a fit. Jongho had gotten up from the couch, his left cheek and eyebrow slightly bleeding. As the maknae was about to walk away from the group Hongjoong grabbed his jacket and turned him around to face him.

"You can't hear, right?" Hongjoong asked, Jongho didn't say anything, but that was enough answer for Hongjoong.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Hongjoong asked, his voice sounding heartbroken and tears slowly forming in the corners of his eyes.

San was still sitting on the stairs he was handcuffed to when Dongwook returned from locking up the other six students. San and Dongwook walked to the auditorium in silence and up on the stage, the tree planks creaking behind their feet at every step they took. San stood in front of Dongwook, a good amount of distance between the two as the killer raised the gun to point it at San's head. The two held eye contact, neither of them giving in to the other. Sans face still held the same emotionless expression as always, no sign of  _ fear _ from the gun being pointed at him, no sign of  _ hurt _ from Seonghwa's betrayal, nothing at all. Dongwook pulled the trigger and the sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the entire school.

The six students locked up heard it as well. They had all calmed down and were sitting on the couches in the resting area. Everyone jumped slightly at the sound except Jongho.

Mingi leaned forward and hid his face in his hands quietly sobbing, devastated by the thought that they hadn't been able to save San no matter how much they begged the killer.

Yeosang had a heartbroken expression on his face as he looked at the ceiling, trying to hide his tears.

Yunho slid down the wall he had been standing against as tears started rolling down his cheeks.

Hongjoong lowered his head when sound echoed through the school, holding back his sobs and Jongho was looking around slightly confused, but quickly picked up what must have happened based on everyone's reactions.

Seonghwa was pulling his hair as he cried in the chair he was seated on, not caring who saw him as one of his fellow students had just been killed, and he was the one who had called him out, hence it was  _ his _ fault.

_ I want to know through these children. _

_ The answer to an old question. _

_ Is a monster born as one, or made into one? _

Wooyoung and Jun had just reached the school's front gates and gave each other a high-five, finally reaching the school after walking for almost an entire day in the cold weather. They both climbed over the gates and Wooyoung guided them inside as he knew all the secret paths to get inside without being discovered. When they finally got inside the school by crawling through the ventilation system, they went to Wooyoung's room. Jun went to take a shower first and Wooyoung sat in front of his computer, looking at the CCTV, but none of the cameras showed his fellow students, nor the teacher or Dr. Lee.

"Where has everyone gone..?" Wooyoung mumbled to himself.

Not long after Jun returned from having a shower, Wooyoung went to take a quick shower too. When they were both cleaned up from the walking, they sneaked down to the cafeteria after Wooyoung checked the CCTV once again to make sure no one was there. They found some leftovers in the fridge and started eating, Wooyoung complaining every once in a while that Jun had made the food way too spicy when he had added some more seasoning to it. When they had almost finished their shared bowl of food they heard footsteps coming from the floor above.

Wooyoung quickly took the food and grabbed Jun's hand, dragging him with him behind the island in the kitchen so they would be out of sight from whoever was approaching them.

Dongwook walked to the cafeteria and looked around the dimly lit area as he thought he had heard noises coming from there. He carefully looked around for a few seconds but when he didn't see anyone, he walked back to the nursing room he had come from.

When Dongwook had left Wooyoung peeked over the top of the island they were hiding behind to make sure he had left.

"Teacher..." Jun whispered quietly. Wooyoung turned around to look at him before speaking.

"It's not the teacher. It's survivor number one." Wooyoung said with a hint of amusement in his voice. They both sat cross legged on the cold tile floor and started eating the rest of their food as it was the first proper meal they'd had in days.

"Do we have to keep hiding here?" Jun asked as he took a spoonful of the kimchi they had found. Wooyoung didn't answer and just looked around the room, not looking for anything in particular. He rubbed his itchy nose with the back of his hand, and his fingers brushed across the pink band aid that was still on his cheek. Wooyoung took off the bandaid and placed it on the corner of the kitchen island behind him.

Mingi had walked out from the resting room, first to the bathroom to throw up from all the mixed emotions that had been eating him up, then to sit in the hallway that led to the exit of the teachers’ dormitory. He wanted to be alone after everyone had heard the gunshot earlier. Hongjoong walked out to where Mingi was sitting on the floor, the otherwise tall boy all curled up, hugging his knees and looking more fragile than glass.

Hongjoong sat beside him with a fair distance between the two. He looked at the ground when Mingi spoke up.

"You think I'm stupid right? I tried to kill myself, but throw up now that we could really die... You probably think I'm an idiot." Mingi said, referring to the reason he had left in the first place earlier, to throw up.

"No I don't." Hongjoong replied, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Hongjoong.."

"Mhmm?"

"What do we do now? What should we do..?" Mingi asked while biting his lip nervously. Hongjoong didn't have an answer to the younger's question, so he didn't say anything.

**2017, December 29th, 9:12 AM**

_ A small boy stood outside the door to his family's small apartment, only wearing his boxers while knocking anxiously on the door. The night had swallowed all the daylight and the cold wind was making the boy shiver. _

_ "Mum! Please let me in!" _

_ "Mum please! I didn't do it! It wasn't me.." The small boy around six years old trailed off, tears rolling down his cheeks as his mother had locked him outside. _

Seonghwa woke up in cold sweat from his dream. He looked panicked around the room and realised he was still locked up in the teacher's dorms. He let out a sigh at the dream he had woken up from, besides it wasn't a dream, it was a memory he wished he could forget.

Seonghwa dragged himself out of the bed he had been sleeping on throughout the night and went to wash his face. When he had cleaned himself up he went to the grid in front of the stairs, the grid that had all the students trapped inside the dorms. He tried pulling on the steel, but it only budged very slightly. He let out a sigh when he heard someone walk up the stairs. He looked up from the floor to see Dongwook standing there, his left arm still in a sling.

"I want to see you briefly." Dongwook said as he unlocked the grid. Seonghwa looked surprised and slightly scared at him, asking why he wanted to talk.

"To ask for a favor." Dongwook replied and opened the grid for Seonghwa to walk outside. They walked in the hallway when Seonghwa turned around to look at Dongwook who had the gun pointed at him in case Seonghwa had any funny tricks up his sleeve.

"Where's Jongho's room?" Dongwook asked.

"Camerama-.. Jongho's room? Why?" Seonghwa questioned.

"He's really disadvantaged right now." Dongwook said, not giving a further explanation. Seonghwa nodded and walked into Jongho's room. The fake 'Jongho' that was made out of pillows which Seonghwa had beat up a few days ago was still sitting on the swivel chair, and the feathers from the pillows were still scattered across the floor. Dongwook closed the door behind them as they entered.

"There must be another battery." Dongwook stated and Seonghwa immediately started looking through Jongho's drawers to find a second battery. He opened a small box that had various stuff for the hearing aids, including a battery. Seonghwa took it and stood back up to look at Dongwook, showing him the battery in his hands.

"What did you mean with disadvantaged?" Seonghwa questioned.

"Who do you think sent the letters? Neither you nor I have any evidence, only a hunch. What do you think will happen if this continues?" Dongwook dodged Seonghwa's question with another question instead. Seonghwa didn't answer and just kept his eyes on the killer in front of him.

"Shock, anger and helplessness. What comes next?" Dongwook asked. Seonghwa shook his head from side to side indicating he didn't know.

"Betrayal. As time goes on, your enemy is not me but your friends. Well, if you call yourself friends that is." Dongwook said, looking at the younger boy. Seonghwa let out a chuckle before speaking up.

"Are you trying to provoke me?" Seonghwa smirked.

"Survival is our basic instinct. Actions to survive are all justified." Seonghwa's smirk fell as Dongwook spoke. The older motioned for Seonghwa to start walking back to the teacher's dorms, which he did while Dongwook walked behind him.

"Let's say someone admits it.. How do we know that they really sent the letters?" Seonghwa questioned as he walked.

"We don't need evidence, a confession is all we need. It's the same if five of you accuse one person of being the sender. We don't need evidence." Dongwook answered from behind him, making Seonghwa stop walking to turn around to look at Dongwook.

"There are two types of betrayal. Number one- one person betrays the five of you and confesses or two, the five of you betray one person." Seonghwa didn't answer the older and just started walking again, listening when the killer said it would be a shame if Jongho didn't get to hear this.

Hongjoong, Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi and Jongho were gathered in the teacher's resting area. Jongho had told them what he had been talking with Dongwook about when he had his session with him.

"I really had counselling about my childhood and animal documentaries. He didn't ask about the letter." Jongho said truthfully. Yunho quickly scrambled something down on a piece of paper with a pen he had found, showing the paper to Jongho.

"You don't talk at first but you end up talking," Jongho answered to Yunho's written question.

"He's an expert at making people talk.." Hongjoong muttered quietly.

"He didn't ask about the letter..? Is he really waiting for one of us to confess?" Yunho questioned no in particular. Yeosang looked around at his fellow students while he spoke.

"Who was it? Who sent the letters? It must be one of us.. We'll keep it a secret, so raise your hand. Let's close our eyes and do it."

"Then who will be able to see who sent the letter?" Mingi spoke up to shut down Yeosang's ridiculous suggestion.

"As Yeosang said, we should find out who sent it first. That way, we can defend ourselves." Mingi spoke again looking at Hongjoong in front of him. Yunho looked nervously between the two, but neither of them noticed.

"No, let's not be curious about who sent the letter from now on. Knowing that won't change anything." Hongjoong spoke before standing up from the chair he was seated on.

"Let's say we found out who sent it. Do you think we can keep it a secret until the end?.. I'm angry at the person who sent the letter too, but that's no reason for them to die. We can't let more deaths occur... So don't tell anyone who sent the letter. Not to us. Not to him. Then we will win." Hongjoong stated as he knew if they actually found out who had sent the letters, they might not be able to keep it a secret if they were put under pressure. At least some of them wouldn't be able to.

"He said it himself. The only evidence he has is a confession. If we  _ trust _ each other, we can all survive this." Hongjoong finished his little pep talk and the same moment Seonghwa walked through the door, into the resting area where everyone was gathered, a sullen look on his face. Seonghwa looked around for a moment before sitting down on one of the free chairs.

"Where did you go?" Mingi questioned suspiciously, eyeing Seonghwa.

"The doctor.. We went to the dorm." Seonghwa fiddled with his hands before gathering the courage to look at Jongho on his right and holding his hand out to the youngest, the new battery placed in the palm of his hand. Jongho looked at him for a moment before taking the battery carefully from Seonghwa's hand. Seonghwa looked away awkwardly and cleared his throat, obviously not used to being nice to the maknae. Hongjoong was looking at Seonghwa from where he was standing behind him.

"What were you talking-" Seonghwa was cut off by Hongjoong who asked him if Dongwook had told him anything. Seonghwa looked over his shoulder to face Hongjoong but looked back at the ground in front of him, he didn't answer Hongjoong's question and just kept quiet.

Dongwook was seated on the small end of the table in the cafeteria, Mingi had been chosen as the hostage to be handcuffed to the table today, sitting on his left. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were seated at the long end of the table while Yeosang, Yunho and Jongho were preparing their breakfast.

"Yesterday was a terrible day, I hope that doesn't happen again." Dongwook said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You say it like San's death was _ our fault _ ." Hongjoong spoke up, looking straight at Dongwook. The later let out a sigh at the memories of yesterday when he had been face to face with San in auditorium, the young student's face emotionless as always, even when he pulled the trigger.

"Okay.. Let's say I killed San, but who killed Lee Taeyong then?" This made everyone at the table turn their attention to the killer in front of them.

"I heard you talk while I had a fever. You killed someone too, no? Was it just a coincidence? A minor mishap? Maybe the deceased student was too sensitive, but death is death and murder is murder! I killed Choi San because the situation caused me to! You made Lee Taeyong take his own life, right?!" Dongwook's voice got louder with every word he spoke until he was yelling the last sentence. Seonghwa bit his lip harshly to stop himself from sobbing and Hongjoong looked at his hands with a hurt expression on his face. He was right though. Hongjoong knew some of it was true,  _ they _ had been the reason Taeyong had taken his own life.

Dongwook took a deep breath calming himself down again. "So don't feel upset about this situation. Let's all be punished."

Yunho was helping make their breakfast when he saw a noticeable pink bandaid on the corner of the counter. He thought for a moment if any of the current students had had any injuries and could have placed it there. However no one had been hurt, at least no one beside San.. Jongho noticed Yunho was looking at something and discreetly went over to him to see the bandaid too.

Jun was sound asleep on Wooyoung's bed, his blonde locks falling in front of his eyes and sticking out in all directions as calm breaths escaped his parted lips. The covers were pulled all the way up to his chin, his body enjoying the warmth. Wooyoung was sitting in his swirling chair as he had woken up a few hours prior. He opened his grey laptop to see the CCTV of the cafeteria where everyone was gathered for breakfast.

"They all gathered now that it's morning.." Wooyoung mumbled to himself, but Jun heard him and stirred in his sleep. The older rolled onto his back and stretched his arms above his head, letting out a content moan.

"What did you say?" Jun mumbled half awake, his voice deep and husky from having just woken up. He saw through half open eyes Wooyoung was looking at his laptop, and Jun rolled onto his side to fully face the younger.

"What are you looking at? Porn?" Jun asked teasingly, while rubbing his eyes.

"Dude, I'm not a little kid." Wooyoung scoffed, almost offended, before letting out a small chuckle, shutting his laptop closed.

Breakfast had been served in the cafeteria, making the room completely silent beside the sounds of utensils scraping against the plates.

"What do your parents do?" Dongwook asked Mingi on his left, breaking the silence. Mingi turned to look at him before asking why he was curious about that.

"It's just a chit chat over a meal. If you don't want to talk about it, how about the weather then? It's going to get cold this afternoon." Dongwook answered, looking from Mingi back to his own food.

Yunho made eye contact with Hongjoong from each their side of Seonghwa, Yunho carefully lifted his right hand, showing the pink bandaid he had placed there, hoping Hongjoong would catch on to what he was trying to tell him.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong had been assigned to wash the dishes after they ate, as they hadn't helped with breakfast, leaving Mingi still handcuffed to the table beside Dongwook and Yeosang, Yunho and Jongho at the longer end of the table.

Dongwook started humming the tune of the song he had sung for Mingi before he had tried to kill himself after their talk. Mingi shifted around uncomfortably in his chair at the sound of the tune. When Dongwook stopped humming Mingi looked up at him.

"What?" Mingi asked. Dongwook just shook his head with a smile on his face.

Hongjoong stood with his back to the tables in the kitchen area so no one could see what his hands were doing. Seonghwa walked up beside him and whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Wait." Hongjoong whispered back as he kept forming three simple letters into the toast in front of him. SOS. If Wooyoung was here and he went to make himself toast, he'd definitely see the message written on it,  _ hopefully _ . Seonghwa asked again, louder this time as he was frustrated. "What are you doing?"

"Stop." Dongwook warned the two as he had heard Seonghwa. They turned around to face Dongwook who stood up from his chair, gun in his good hand. He walked towards where Seonghwa and Hongjoong stood as he told everyone to go stand against the wall, which they did, only Mingi handcuffed to the table stayed in his seat.

Dongwook inspected the kitchen area but when he didn't find anything suspicious he told the students to turn around to face him instead of the wall. Dongwook had a small smile on his lips as he told the students they would head back to the teachers’ dorm now- or their prison as it had now become.

They stood in front of the entrance to the dorms when Dongwook spoke up. "Who shall I counsel this time? Three days left, who to choose." He said as he looked between the students, his eyes landing on Seonghwa at last, the young student swallowed nervously and avoided eye contact.

" _ Park Seonghwa _ . I'll speak with Seonghwa." Dongwook said, the decision already made. Everyone else entered their self proclaimed prison and when inside and out of the killers reach, Jongho asked what was going on. Yunho turned to look at him.

"I think Wooyoung is back." Yunho said, as he showed them the pink bandaid he had found in the kitchen earlier.

"This was placed on the side of the kitchen counter, and first of all the school doesn't have these pink bandaids and second, it wasn't there yesterday." Yunho explained to the others whose attention was fully on him.

"Dongwook doesn't know about Wooyoung." Hongjoong stated as he walked up beside Yunho.

"A chance to turn the tables." Yeosang said after he let out a low whistle.

"But Wooyoung doesn't know who he really is either." Mingi interrupted, looking at Yeosang.

"Therefore we have to inform him. If he meets him without notice, he'll become another hostage." Hongjoong said determined.

"How do we let him know?" Yunho questioned. Hongjoong wasn't sure that Wooyoung would notice the message in the toast, so he walked over to the window and looked at the building on the opposite side, the building where the boys' dorms and the nursing room were.

Seonghwa sat handcuffed to the end of the bed in the nursing room, as Dongwook sat down at a table only a few feet away.

"You had a dream?" Dongwook asked, starting the counselling session.

"Yeah.. I was being punished." Seonghwa said quietly while keeping his eyes on the floor beneath him.

"Do you have that dream often?"

"Only before exams or when I'm stressed.." Seonghwa answered. Dongwook took a pen from the table, ready to write down any useful information he could gather about the boy in front of him. Seonghwa explained where the dream or rather memory, had come from to the doctor.

"You just refused to eat, but you were thrown out in your underwear?" Dongwook questioned, not sure if he had actually heard Seonghwa correctly.

"I was wrong for saying that.. My mum prepared a meal for me, but I wouldn't eat it. Of course she would be mad. She's not always like that... Not usually." Seonghwa trailed off.

"But she just forgave you when you stole a game console from a friend's house?" Dongwook asked perplexed while looking at Seonghwa.

"She said that kids do that sometimes.." Seonghwa muttered. Dongwook looked down on his paper and wrote a small note under the one he had made of Jongho.

_ 'Choi Jongho - Compulsive gossiping _

_ Park Seonghwa - Consistency (?)' _

"Where is Wooyoung's room?" Hongjoong asked. Yeosang told him that boys' dorms were on the 4th floor on the building opposite of them, a floor above the nursing room.

"Wooyoung's room is the fifth from the left." Yeosang explained. Hongjoong looked at the building opposite of them and counted the rooms from the left until he was pointing at the fifth room, supposedly Wooyoung's. Hongjoong opened the window, but due to safety reasons the windows could only be opened about an arms width.

"Should we remove the panel?" Yunho asked, as it would be nearly impossible for them to do anything with the small amount the window could be opened.

"The alarm will go off.." Jongho reasoned.

"What if we shout?" Yeosang asked.

"You just said yourself that the nursing room is just beneath the boys' dorms. If we shout Dongwook will most likely hear us." Hongjoong deadpanned. He looked around the room for a moment before he spotted a big plant in the corner of the room where small stones were placed in the pot as decoration to cover the dirt. He picked up a handful of the stones and tried to throw each individual stone at the window to Wooyoung's room. The first few missed and the third just hit the side of the building.

"Move.." Yeosang told Hongjoong as he took the stones from the older’s hand and threw it at Wooyoung's window, almost hitting it in the first try. The second stone Yeosang threw hit the window perfectly, and Wooyoung who had now returned to his room with breakfast heard it. Just as the students were waiting for Wooyoung to appear in his window, the blinders from the nursing room beneath where Seonghwa and Dongwook currently were, rolled up and Hongjoong quickly closed their window and pulled the blinders down.

Dongwook glanced out of the window from his session with Seonghwa because of strange sounds from the outside, but left the window again as soon as he didn't see anything suspicious and brought his attention back to the student seated on the bed.

"My mum never gave me anything like instant noodles. She gave me only the best, whether it'd be food, clothing or anything else. She washed all my clothes by hand too, and... She prayed every night for my sins." Seonghwa exclaimed.

"She went through each of your sins?" Dongwook asked as he walked back over to sit at the table in front of Seonghwa.

"Why are you doing this?" Seonghwa asked frustrated, raising his voice slightly.

"Park Seonghwa.."

"You're trying to make my mum seem bad, but you don't know her." Seonghwa trailed off from defending his mother.

Dongwook let out a sigh before talking. "Fine.. I admit your mum's perfect, so? Do you miss her? Do you want to see your mum? Why is the mum in your dreams just a voice?" Dongwook questioned as he looked at Seonghwa.

"That's because..." Seonghwa just trailed off, not giving an answer.

"I don't mind, you didn't ask to be counselled to discuss your mum with me, right?" Dongwook asked. The question made Seonghwa look confused at him.

"I asked to be counselled?" Seonghwa asked perplexed.

"You didn't psychically say it, but your entire body language screamed for me to pick you. Now, tell me what you really want to say." Dongwook said as he placed his pen down on the table. Seonghwa looked frantically around the room, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"Did I see wrong? I thought you wanted to tell me something.."

"What do you mean?" Seonghwa asked as he lifted his gaze from his hands to the doctor in front of him.

"I'm not a magician, I'm a therapist. I don't know anything if you don't tell me... Well.. Maybe I saw wrong. Should we just end it here?" Dongwook admitted as he stood up from his chair to unlock Seonghwa's handcuffed hands. He threw the key to Seonghwa, which the younger caught with ease, but didn't make a move to actually unlock them.

"Seonghwa?" The doctor asked as the student wasn't moving.

"What's...- wrong with me..?" Seonghwa mumbled out as his eyes got teary. He looked up at the wall in front of him before speaking again. "What's bad about me...?"

"You're not bad. You're just  _ weak _ . If people knew how weak you are, no one would hate you." Dongwook said calmly as he took the keys again and placed them on the table.

Seonghwa looked at him for a good moment then spoke confidently. "I sent the letters." Dongwook had a small smile on his lips as he turned to fully face Seonghwa.

Jun and Wooyoung were almost done eating their breakfast in Wooyoung's room when Jun noticed the ' _ SOS _ ' carved into the toast Wooyoung was eating. He pointed it out to the younger and Wooyoung was finally able to put the pieces together. The reason he hadn't seen the guys walking around freely, and why they all looked so tense when they had breakfast with the doctor this morning, something was wrong.

Wooyoung had made a quick plan and gathered the things he needed from the school's janitor room. Those things included a potted plant, three jump start batteries and jumper cables. Wooyoung told Jun to stay hidden as he walked to the nursing room.

Dongwook's gaze was fixed on the student in front of him, waiting for him to continue speaking. Seonghwa's gaze however was locked on the white blank wall opposite of him, a stern look obvious on his features.

"They pretend to be clean, as though they didn't do anything wrong. Kim Hongjoong, Song Mingi, Choi San. I want to let them know what they have done. So  _ I _ sent the letters." Seonghwa's eyes shifted to the ground for a moment before he lifted his head to look up at Dongwook, since the older man hadn’t said anything to Seonghwa's confession.

"What? You don't believe me?" Seonghwa asked in an almost offended tone.

"I do. I have no reason to doubt you." Dongwook answered, slightly amused that he had confessed. "Tell me then, who do you think has committed the most sins? Hongjoong, Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi or Jongho? If you really hate them that much, you can pinpoint someone. Who has the most sins?" Dongwook asked as he kept his eyes locked on Seonghwa in front of him.

"We never discussed that. You only told me to confess..." Seonghwa mumbled as he shifted his gaze to the floor instead of the doctor.

"Park Seonghwa. You have to be able to tell me at least that much if you're not  _ lying _ ." Dongwook's tone were getting more stern as he spoke. Seonghwa kept looking at the ground but his eyes kept shifting around, not sure how to answer. As time passed by Seonghwa's breathing became more harsh at the thought of telling Dongwook a name, which would result in the said person dying. After debating with himself for a few minutes he whispered out a name, barely auditable. Dongwook looked at him as he spoke.

"Let me check once more. The person you think has the most sins is-" Dongwook was cut off by the sound of something falling to the ground and breaking. He turned his gaze to the door and grabbed his gun from the table before making his way over to the door. He grabbed the door handle to open the door, but the moment his hand made contact with the metal handle an electric shock went through his body, making him fall to the ground while groaning in pain before passing out from the impact of the shock.

Seonghwa quickly stood up but felt a tug on his right wrist as he was still handcuffed to the bed. Using all his force he slowly dragged the bed along with him, making his way over to the killer lying unconscious on the floor, gun laying beside his head. When Seonghwa was getting closer the door opened from the outside, and in the doorway stood Wooyoung with a cocky smile on his lips. Wooyoung walked over to Dongwook and picked up the gun from the floor, inspecting it for a moment.

"Wo-Wooyoung.. How did you..." Seonghwa asked flabbergasted, not finishing his question before Wooyoung spoke up.

"Who's that guy? And why does he have this?" Wooyoung questioned as he picked up the keys to Seonghwa's handcuffs from the table, throwing them to the older seated on the floor, arm awkwardly bent backwards from trying to pull the bed.

"What do you think?" Seonghwa mumbled annoyed while he unlocked the handcuffs. Wooyoung made his way over to the killer laying on the floor and kneeled down beside him.

"He's too old to be an escaped soldier.." Wooyoung pondered.

"Serial killer." Seonghwa stated simply as he stood up, rubbing his sore wrist.

"Ohhh... Where are the others though?" Wooyoung asked, a hint of excitement in his voice from the mention of the man before him being a serial killer. Seonghwa quickly left the room to let the others free without answering Wooyoung's question. When he arrived at the teacher's dorm, he quickly unlocked the door and the grid keeping them separated. Hongjoong was the first to notice Seonghwa's return and the older quickly explained the situation before himself, Hongjoong, Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi & Jongho all ran towards the nursing room, excited screams echoing throughout the hallways as they finally had their freedom back.

Dongwook slowly gained consciousness after a few minutes of being knocked out. He let out a groan as he sat up, leaning his back against the bed he was now handcuffed to. Wooyoung sat beside him on top of the bed, an amused smirk on his face.

"You good?" Wooyoung asked, looking at the killer sitting on the floor. Dongwook looked around annoyed and let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Who are you?" Dongwook asked calmly but his expression was bitter now that he had been overmanned by a student he hadn't seen before. Wooyoung squatted down in front of the older to be on the same eye level as him when he spoke.

"I'll introduce myself later, Mr. Serial Killer." Wooyoung answered, the amused smirk now permanently stuck on his lips. When Wooyoung was about to speak again he got interrupted by the cheers from his fellow students as they entered the nursing room, all of them breathing heavily from the intense running. Wooyoung stood up and walked towards the door when Hongjoong entered as the first one, the older jumping into Wooyoung's arms and tackling him to the floor in sheer happiness while repeating the younger's name. The rest of them followed soon, and by the time everyone had entered the room, all the students were piling on top of their saviour, Wooyoung.

Seonghwa was the last to enter and therefore was the last to jump onto the pile. When he looked up he got eye contact with Dongwook for a moment. The killer simply had an amused smile on his face, but not one that showed genuine happiness at the boys' shenanigans. Seonghwa's smile faded as he remembered their conversation only mere minutes ago and how he had confessed he was the one who sent the letters, along with him calling out the person he thought had the most sins of them.

Wooyoung was being crushed under the other six students and barely managed to yell out a half sincere  _ 'move fat asses'  _ but the plea went unnoticed by the others as they were way too happy to care.

"I have a gun!" Wooyoung whined and this made everyone scramble off of him quickly, Wooyoung groaning when he could finally breathe again.

"You should have told us that sooner." Hongjoong nagged at the younger.

"We almost died as soon as we got our lives back." Jongho whined annoyed. Wooyoung got on his knees, his back against the others.

"You should be grateful." Wooyoung whined with a small pout on his lips before swirling around on the floor pointing the gun at his fellow students.

"Wooyoung!" Hongjoong warned as he kept a serious stare at the younger on the floor. Wooyoung had a cocky smile on his face as he let out an amused sigh. He lowered the gun and stood back up, looking at them he noticed someone was missing.

"Where's the teacher and the other Choi?" Wooyoung asked confused. Yeosang awkwardly stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets, looking at the ground. Everyone went silent and most of the other students either looked at the ground or avoided Wooyoung's eyes. Wooyoung caught on quickly to the turn of atmosphere and his smile fell as well.

"Are they dead?" Wooyoung asked half joking but when no one replied he continued in a serious manner.

"Really..? W-wait... Choi San, is  _ dead _ ..?" He stuttered out slowly as he felt his throat tightening with the thought. Again, no one said anything and Wooyoung looked around the room in disbelief not knowing where to look. He bit his lip as he talked again, the question not really being directed to anyone, more like him trying to understand what he had just been told.

"He's d-dead? He's really  _ dead _ .." Wooyoung took a few steps away from the group, his back turned to them as he spoke again, this time more frustrated.

"That doesn't make any sense." Wooyoung looked over his shoulder to see the others then he kneeled down in front of the killer who was handcuffed to the bed.

"Yah, old man. Did you really kill Choi San?" He asked in pure disbelief, not understanding how he'd have any reason to kill San and how San out of all of them was the first one to leave them. Dongwook didn't answer and just looked at the kid in front of him. Wooyoung let out a breathy laugh of disbelief that soon turned into quiet sniffing. He quickly regained his senses again and faced Dongwook.

"What's wrong with you? What does someone have to do to become like you?" Wooyoung asked, slightly more aggravated now than emotional.

"You think I'm all that different from you? Do you know why people ask about serial killers' childhoods? They need to know in order to feel safe. An alcoholic, violent father. A mother with an over active sex life-" Dongwook spoke in a calm yet annoyed voice. Before he could continue Wooyoung cut him off and looked towards the others asking what the hell the old man was on about. Dongwook continued talking nonetheless, making Wooyoung turn his attention back to him again.

"But that's not true. That's all exaggerated by the media to make people feel safe. Not everyone with a poor childhood turns into a monster, there are many monsters from normal backgrounds. We all have potential to become monsters." Dongwook looked up from the boy in front of him to look at everyone else who was standing behind Wooyoung.

"Can you feel the monster that lives inside of you?" Yunho looked away as the killer spoke and Seonghwa moved from his spot next to Mingi to stand by the window instead. Dongwook leaned forwards a bit, a small smile on his lips. "I think a few are coming to life." His eyes shifted to Seonghwa. The older student noticed that and before he could think his actions through he kicked Dongwook in the jaw as hard as he could, making the killer fall to the floor. A sudden scream from the doorway made everyone turn their attention to the newcomer who had joined them in the room. Wooyoung walked closer to the door so he could see who it was, and in the doorway stood a surprised Jun.

"Hey!" Wooyoung smiled as he walked over to him.

"Who is he?" Hongjoong asked cautiously. Wooyoung grabbed his hand and dragged Jun further into the room then introduced him to the rest of them.

"Moon Junhui, the students and the serial killer." Wooyoung pointed to each of them as he explained and Jun kept his eyes on the killer laying on the floor, blood dripping down his chin. The later mentioned who was laying face down on the ground let out an amused laugh when he looked at Jun, rolling onto his back instead of laying on his stomach.

Wooyoung and Hongjoong had taken the roles as the ones to escort Dongwook down to the detention room, where he would be locked up so they knew where he was. Hongjoong held the door open for him as he walked inside of the room willingly and sat down on the bed, Wooyoung was standing at the exit with the gun pointed towards him in case he had any plans about retaliating.

Yeosang, Seonghwa and Jongho had been on a mission to find themselves some alcohol to celebrate Wooyoung's return and for saving their asses from death. They walked down to the resting area, hands full with wine glasses, alcohol and snacks for them to enjoy. Wooyoung entered the resting area from the outside and spotted the three.

"What's all that?" He questioned, to which Jongho held up a bottle of expensive white wine for Wooyoung to see. "The teacher's dorm?" Wooyoung asked, already knowing that would be the only possible place for them to find alcohol and snacks. He shook his head, faking disappointment and spoke again in a disapproving tone.

"You're all so daring after you just got your lives back.."

"Don't worry, we'll just say it was the murderer who drank it." Yeosang said nonchalantly, eyeing Seonghwa and Jongho beside him. They nodded in agreement and Seonghwa looked at Wooyoung as he spoke up.

"There's a murderer who invaded the school, killed our teacher and San. I think some missing alcohol and snacks will be the least of the school's problems." Seonghwa rolled his eyes at Wooyoung before he placed all the things in his embrace on a table.

The rest of the students, including Jun, had joined them in the resting as all of them had poured themselves a glass of champagne. Hongjoong lifted his glass first and soon everyone followed his action.

"Cheers!" Wooyoung yelled excitedly. They all took a sip of the drink, some enjoying the taste while others made faces of displeasure. Wooyoung took an unopened champagne bottle and shook it before opening it, making the foam spray all over the place, Wooyoung intentionally spraying the others with the liquid. Everyone tried running away to hide from him while laughing for the first time in a long time. Seonghwa took a glass with a small amount of alcohol in it and threw the substance inside the glass at Wooyoung as payback. By now everyone had started throwing both alcohol and snacks at each other, all of them forgetting their worries and just enjoying the moment. Because of the drinks and snacks scattered across the floor once in a while someone would slip and face plant onto the floor, making everyone else laugh even harder and especially Wooyoung's Elmo laugh could be heard throughout the room.

After about half an hour of laughing while throwing alcohol and snacks at each other- instead of drinking and eating them like planned, they finally settled down. Yeosang had seated himself on top of the grand piano in the back of the room, quietly playing his guitar while Jongho and Yunho sat on one of the couches chatting. Mingi was passed out against the cold window beside the piano and Seonghwa sat on the stairs leading up to the dorms, arms hugging his knees as his thoughts had taken over. Jun was seated lazily on the opposite couch of Yunho and Jongho, just staring into nothing.

After a while Seonghwa stood up almost painfully slow and walked up the rest of the stairs, heading god knows where. Wooyoung looked around the room and saw Hongjoong sitting outside on the cold concrete doorstep. He walked outside to join his elder, gun safely secured in the back of his jeans. He sat down beside Hongjoong, startling the older for a moment as he hadn't registered the younger's presence.

"I'm sorry Hongjoong." Wooyoung said while he placed the gun beside him as it was uncomfortable to sit on. Hongjoong turned to look at him, a confused look evident on his face. Wooyoung didn't look at him though, he just kept looking into the darkness that was surrounding them, only the light from inside the windows lighting up a small area around the doorstep they were sitting on.

"You can never beat San now.. Looks like you lost." Wooyoung said teasingly as he finally looked at the slightly taller boy beside him, the corner of his lips curling into a playful smirk. Hongjoong let out a chuckle, shaking his head and looking at the snow beneath his shoes, not answering to the younger's comment.

"Are you ignoring me? I won.. Just once though.." Wooyoung teased again, referring to the one time he had beat San's score in class, but his face held a genuine happy expression at the memory.

"I know.. Choi San's first loss." Hongjoong sighed.

"And his only loss." Wooyoung's smirk faded as he realised that it would really be the only time someone defeated San, the school's top student.

"He'll never lose again now.." Wooyoung whispered sadly. Hongjoong nodded to the younger's comment as silence took over them. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes until Wooyoung stood back up. He stretched his back for a moment before suddenly bolting out into the snow covered field that was the front garden of the school. Hongjoong followed him soon, trying his best to keep up with the athletic boy who was now screaming incoherent words to let out all his frustrations as he kept running.

Yeosang, Jongho and Yunho soon joined running behind them as they had heard the commotion outside, the three of them equally confused, but following nonetheless. Soon they arrived at the outdoor basketball court that was covered in snow. Hongjoong was chasing Wooyoung along with Yeosang's assistance. Jongho had thrown snow at Yunho and the two now had a full on snowball war going on between them. Finally Hongjoong caught Wooyoung and pulled him into the cold snow, the rest of them joining as they took off Wooyoung's jacket and shirt, leaving him in his jeans. The younger let out a scream as the cold of the night hit his bare chest and he made a run for it to get away from them as he laughed, both from the fun they were having and from the cold who had probably frozen his last few brain cells by now.

Not long after everyone had been stripped down to their jeans and were throwing snow at each other, Jongho was picking out one target at the time that he would throw over his shoulder and then into the snow, all of them present got the same treatment by the maknae.

From inside the warm building Seonghwa passed by a window from where he could see the guys fooling around outside, he took a deep breath as his thoughts were taking over his mind once again. He was shook out of his thoughts as he saw a figure walking a good distance away from him, heading the opposite direction of him.

"Yah! Song Mingi." Seonghwa yelled as he jogged up to the taller male, a smirk on his face as he approached him. Mingi turned around to face him and let out an annoyed sigh.

"What is it,  _ Plague _ ?" A small chuckle left Seonghwa's lips at the name and he leaned his back against the wall beside him.

"What did you do alone with Hongjoong last night?" Seonghwa's smirk increased while he cocked his head slightly to the side. Mingi glared at him for a moment before the glare turned into a smirk.

"Seonghwa.. Park Seonghwa.." Mingi trailed off teasingly. "What is it you want from me? Hmm? You keep picking fights with me and drag me down any chance you get.. Do you have a crush on me or something?" Mingi raised an eyebrow. Seonghwa laughed quietly to himself before his face turned serious.

"You're really full of yourself you know that?" Seonghwa rolled his eyes as he pushed himself away from the wall and walked closer to Mingi, their face only a few centimetres away from each other. Seonghwa took a step closer as he spoke, while Mingi took one away until the older almost had Mingi pinned up against the wall.

"What I want from you? Nothing in particular, but seeing you clinging to Hongjoong like he's some sort of life source for you pisses me off greatly. What would make me lose interest in you? Become more twisted and messed up than me." Mingi's back hit the wall when Seonghwa finished speaking, he kept his eyes locked on the guy in front of him. Seonghwa looked at the ground for a moment before looking Mingi in the eyes.

"But that's all over now too. I'm so twisted now that I can't do anything... I said my name." Seonghwa said with a sadistic smile on his face as he laughed, almost sounding like a mad man.

"What are you talking about?" Mingi whispered after he had swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Seonghwa's smile faded and he turned around, walking back towards his dorm leaving Mingi standing confused against the wall.

Hongjoong, Yunho, Yeosang, Wooyoung and Jongho who had been fooling around outside in the snow had made their way back to the school's main entrance. They all dusted the remaining snow off of their clothes before Yunho went up and pulled on the door, only to feel it resisting. Yunho felt panic take over him for a moment at the thought of being locked outside in the cold and dark night, however his worry vanished when Yeosang walked up to him and pushed the door open instead of pulling on the handle, walking inside. Yunho shook his head at his own stupidity while Hongjoong walked up behind him and gave the back of his head a gentle tap, laughing to himself at his fellow student.

They all entered the school again, but were met with a worried looking Mingi the moment they had all stepped inside.

"Seonghwa's acting strange.." Mingi said as he stood in front of Hongjoong. The older looked to his left to see Wooyoung walking up the stairs, not interested in the strange acting Seonghwa.

"Wooyoung, where's the gun?" Wooyoung went to grab the gun from his jeans only to feel it wasn't there like expected, he looked back at Hongjoong with worry.

Dongwook sat on the bed in the detention room when he heard footsteps approaching. He was reading a novel he had found in the room earlier, trying his best to make time pass by faster.

"I was waiting for you." Dongwook said without looking up from his book when the door to the detention room opened. Seonghwa stood in the doorway, holding the gun in his right hand.

"Then it'll be over soon." Seonghwa answered with a sad undertone to his words.

"What are you so sad about?" Dongwook asked, his focus still on the book in his hands. An amused chuckle escaped Seonghwa's lips before he answered.

"Sad? Me?" Dongwook's lips curled into a small smirk, but it faded quickly again as he started reading the next page of the book.

"About betraying your friends?" Dongwook suggested. Seonghwa laughed a bit as he walked further into the room, the door wide open. "Ahh, betrayal. If betrayal is turning your back on trust, then I never betrayed anyone. No one trusted me anyway. Don't you agree?" Seonghwa smiled wickedly as he looked at the killer sitting on the bed. Dongwook had now closed his book and his attention was on the student who was walking back and forth in front of him.

"Lying, stealing.. Soon murder. I'm guilty of every crime. But not betrayal.. I'm innocent about that, your Honor." Seonghwa laughed as he spoke then he rested his forehead against the door, looking at the ground while smiling like an idiot.

"So why do you want to kill me? Because I may tell the others that you confessed?" Dongwook asked, looking at the student by the door. The comment made Seonghwa slam his fist against the door, his forehead still pressed against the cold steel.

Jun and Wooyoung were the first to appear from the hallway that led down to the detention room, Hongjoong and the rest following soon. Hongjoong walked in front of Wooyoung and looked at Seonghwa.

"Seonghwa, put the gun down." Hongjoong said as calmly as he could muster.

"Kim Hongjoong!" Seonghwa yelled and finally stood up tall to face the younger. His breathing became heavy and tears were slowly welling up in his eyes, threatening to run down his cheeks.

"Don't tell me what to do." Seonghwa said through gritted teeth.

"It's all over. Why are you doing this?" Hongjoong asked reasonably as he tried to talk some sense into the obviously unstable Seonghwa. Dongwook appeared behind the oldest student and looked at him as he spoke.

"If I tell them, are you afraid they'll hate you? You're used to being hated though." Seonghwa didn't need to see the killer's face to know he was smirking as he spoke. Seonghwa raised his hand holding the gun and looked at the weapon in his hands.

"You're right.. I'm used to it. I'm so used to it that I feel scared if people don't hate me-" Seonghwa lowered the gun and turned his head to look at Mingi.

"-So I do things on purpose to be hated by others." Seonghwa sniffed while averting his eyes up to the ceiling to prevent the tears from falling. He blinked a few times then took a deep breath and turned around, walking towards Dongwook.

"But people hating me... and me hating myself is different." Seonghwa raised the gun against the killer's head, the gun ready to fire the moment Seonghwa pulled the trigger.

"You made me hate myself!" Seonghwa yelled as he stood face to face with the older. Wooyoung walked closer to them and called out Seonghwa's name to get his attention. The latter looked over his shoulder and glared at Wooyoung.

"What? Call me the way you always do." Seonghwa sneered at the younger.

"What?  _ Plague _ ?" Wooyoung asked confidently. The answer made Seonghwa lower the gun from Dongwook and head for Wooyoung's direction instead. The older student raised the gun against the blonde haired boy's head instead, but Wooyoung didn't flinch at all, he kept his gaze locked on Seonghwa in front of him.

Repeated ' _ no's _ ' and ' _ Seonghwa _ ' could be heard from the other students behind Wooyoung, but the two in question didn't spare them a piece of their attention as their focus was on the opposite in front of them. Seonghwa's jaw was clenching so hard that almost every vein in his neck was visible. Wooyoung extended his hand forward then turned his hand so his palms were upwards. He opened his hand to reveal three bullets in his palm and Seonghwa looked surprised at the bullets in the younger's hand.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Why would I leave a loaded gun next to a bunch of drunk teens?" Wooyoung said in a calm but low tone. Finally the tears won the long lasting war they had fought to escape, and rolled down Seonghwa's cheeks. He lowered the gun and fell to his knees in front of Wooyoung, his bottom lip quivering from all the mixed emotions he had been keeping inside for so long. Seonghwa didn't care anymore, he lowered his head as he started crying, hands placed by his knees on the ground. As he cried his figure got smaller and smaller until he was curled up on his knees, forehead against the cold ground, his crying becoming louder.

Seonghwa calmed down a few minutes later and Hongjoong told Yunho to escort him back to his dorm and to keep an eye on him. Hongjoong himself, along with Wooyoung, stayed in the detention room to talk with the killer. Wooyoung was leaning against the door frame, looking casually as usual, while Hongjoong stood in front of the criminal.

"What did you tell Seonghwa?" Hongjoong questioned.

"I already told you. What I discuss in the sessions is confidential."

"Ugh, we should just have let Mars shoot him.." Wooyoung groaned from his position against the doorframe. Dongwook let out a sigh then looked up at Hongjoong in front of him.

"I have a favor to ask. Can't you take these off me? I can't even turn a page in the book like this." Dongwook asked while raising his hands, referring to the handcuffs he was still wearing.

"We were going to hang you upside down, you know. So you really shouldn't complain." Wooyoung piped up again.

"If you do this, I'll let you in on something." Dongwook tried to negotiate and it caught Hongjoong's attention. Dongwook lifted his hands again motioning for Hongjoong to unlock the handcuffs.

Hongjoong, Yunho, Wooyoung and Jongho raced down the stairs, heading for their photography classroom. They opened the door in a hurry and poked their head inside to see a ladder in the middle of the room and someone standing on top of it, fiddling with something on the ceiling of the dimly lit room. When the person on the ladder heard the door open he turned his head to see who had entered, face bearing a bored expression as always.

"I was wondering if I could get out.." San said nonchalantly with a small pout on his lips, pointing to the ventilation opening while looking at the four sets of eyes staring at him in utter surprise. The four guys in the door were frozen for a moment before Hongjoong as the first raced over to San and picked him up from the ladder, San dangling awkwardly over the older's shoulder. Everyone else joined Hongjoong, playfully hitting San's back and Wooyoung smacking his ass.

San was utterly confused as he was hanging from Hongjoong's shoulder. "What is it?" He asked, confused by why his fellow students were hitting him.

"You deserve to get hit you bastard!" Wooyoung laughed happily.

Jongho helped Hongjoong support San as they walked out of the room, still carrying San and when they were in the hallway they were greeted by Mingi. Hongjoong let San down on his feet again and Mingi wrapped his arms around San's neck, hugging him tightly. The remaining students joined the hug too, occasionally hitting the back of San's head or his back. When they pulled away from the hug they all headed up the stairs, going for the dorms. Jongho stopped walking halfway and turned his back to the others, not that they noticed because they were too caught up with the fact that San was indeed still alive. The maknae smiled to himself, not able to explain how relieved he was. He took a deep breath and sat down on the stairs as he let out a sob, happy tears welling up in his eyes. Truth is, Jongho had partly been blaming himself for San's ' _ death _ ' because he had been one of the main reasons why the older's plan had failed that night when they had tried to take the gun from Dongwook.

Everyone had gathered in the cafeteria and Jun had made San a meal as he must've been hungry from being locked up, even though it wasn't that long. San was seated at the table quietly eating, Yunho stood behind him, Hongjoong sat on a chair beside him on his left and Wooyoung sat on the table to his right.

"Look at him~" Wooyoung laughed, San lifted his eyes from his meal to look at Wooyoung.

"You almost died, shouldn't you act in a way that reflects that? Cry or bawl, anything." Wooyoung whined, he didn't understand why San wasn't fazed one bit by almost getting shot and dying. The older simply lifted his hand and pointed his finger to the left side of his head.

"I have a problem here. My left brain. The nerves that send emotions are thinner than most people's." San explained while lowering his hand again, placing it on the table.

"What do you mean?" Wooyoung puzzled.

"To put it simply for someone with a limited amount of brain cells like you, it means I can't feel emotions easily." San shot back then started eating his dinner. Wooyoung whined at the comment and rambled on about what the hell San meant by  _ 'limited amount of brain cells _ ' but the whining went unnoticed by San. Jun walked up to them and placed a bowl with soup beside San for him to eat as well.

"Have some more." Jun said in a gentle warm voice. San looked over his shoulder to face Jun.

"Do you have a phone?"

"Huh? Um yeah.. But the battery is dead.." Jun answered while taking out his phone, a solemn look taking over his otherwise usual cheerful face.

"A spare battery then?" San asked.

"I didn't bring one.." San nodded and reached out his hand towards Jun for the older to give him the phone.

"It's okay, recharging is easy." San said as Jun placed the phone in his hand, San put it down on the table and picked up his chopsticks to continue eating.

"Cell phones don't work here." Hongjoong muttered, reminding the younger of the issue at hand. San looked at Wooyoung on his right as he spoke.

"Where did the avalanche occur?"

"In front of the bridge, about 3 kilometres from here."

"We'll go to the temple then." Wooyoung let out an exaggerated sigh at San's response.

"It's a good thing I gave up early." Wooyoung chuckled to himself.

"What?" San questioned, as he looked confused at the younger on his right.

Mingi was taking a stroll around the hallways when Hongjoong saw him walking aimlessly around.

"What are you doing?" Hongjoong asked when he was at a closer range to Mingi. The younger stopped walking and looked out through the window beside him before muttering a small ' _ nothing _ ' to Hongjoong's question.

"I'm just wondering if it's really over now.." When Mingi finished the sentence then turned to face Hongjoong behind him. The younger looked at Hongjoong's face for a moment before turning his back to him and walking towards his dorm.

"Do you want this?" Hongjoong asked before Mingi could walk too far away. He pulled out the gun from the inner pocket in his jacket. Mingi turned around to look at him when Hongjoong continued talking.

"It doesn't have any bullets, but you'll feel safe from just having it." When Mingi didn't make a move to take the gun, Hongjoong grabbed the taller boy's hand and placed the gun in the palm of his hand.

**2017, December 30th, 10:00 AM**

A new day had begun and Seonghwa was lazily making his way down to the cafeteria where Wooyoung, Jun, Hongjoong and Yunho already were preparing breakfast for everyone. Wooyoung was the only one not helping, instead he had seated himself on top of the table. He looked up when Seonghwa entered the kitchen.

"Hey~ Park Seonghwa!" Wooyoung dragged out the words as he greeted the older, standing up from his position on the table, he walked up beside Hongjoong who was in the kitchen area. The small ' _ leader _ ' of the group smiled at Seonghwa as the older walked over to them.

"How's your head?" Hongjoong teased. Seonghwa looked weird at him for a moment not used to people genuinely caring about his well being. Seonghwa immediately put on his 'I-don't-care-we're-not-friends' act and looked around the room but answered truthfully nonetheless.

"It's killing me. I'm hearing bells in my head." Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong from the corner of his eyes, but he couldn't help the smile that took over his face as his façade started crumbling. Hongjoong and Wooyoung chuckled at the older's reply and Hongjoong offered him a cup of coffee, but before Seonghwa could take it Wooyoung ran to him and trapped him in a headlock, ruffling the older's dark hair while Seonghwa fought back.

"Wooyoung.. His head hurts." Hongjoong nagged teasingly and laughed at their antics. Wooyoung laughed too and let go of Seonghwa who then grabbed the cup from Hongjoong's hands. Wooyoung hit the older's shoulder for fun, making Seonghwa spill some of the coffee on the floor.

"Jung Wooyoung!" Yunho exclaimed, everyone laughing at the younger's shenanigans.

While the others were having fun in the cafeteria, San was in the physics room. He had made a charger for the phone battery the night before and was checking if the battery was fully charged. When he saw it indeed was, he took it out of the charger and placed it back into the phone, turning it on. San made his way to the front entrance of the school where he had agreed to meet with Hongjoong when they were done with breakfast. The two of them were gonna go to a temple nearby where there would be signal for them to call the police.

Not long after San's arrival, Hongjoong arrived too with Seonghwa, Yunho, Mingi and Jongho following suit. Hongjoong turned to the guys that had followed him and told them San and him would be back before it got dark.

"See you." Hongjoong said and with that him and San left, heading for the temple. It had started lightly snowing again and the wind had picked up since yesterday.

Jun saw Hongjoong and San from where he was standing inside the school. He walked back to Wooyoung's room where his own belongings were. When he entered the room he walked over to his bag and unzipped it, making a few things fall to the floor one of the things including a spare battery he had claimed not to have. He took his Swiss Army knife and put it into his pocket then he headed for Mingi's room. He entered the younger's room quietly while making sure Mingi wasn't there. When he was inside he went over to the bed and reached into the small space between the bed and the wall, from there he pulled out the gun Hongjoong had given him yesterday.

Wooyoung had made his way down to the detention room when everyone went to send off San and Hongjoong, himself not being interested in that. Wooyoung looked through the glass and saw Dongwook laying on the bed, he had now taken his sling off as his arm was starting to feel better.

"Good morning! Want to hear some good news on this good morning?" Wooyoung sang in a cheerful voice. Dongwook didn't answer as he knew Wooyoung was gonna tell him no matter what, and right he was.

"Two boys left just now with a fully charged phone. One of them will report this to the police soon." Wooyoung smirked. Dongwook just looked at the wall he was facing from his position on the bed, not saying anything.

"You will begin a loooong~ sentence soon. How do you feel?" Wooyoung asked teasingly while playing with the three bullets he had in his hand. Dongwook finally sat up on the bed but didn't look at Wooyoung.

"I've probably lived twice as long as you have. Life is full of surprises. You don't know what waits for you at the other end of the alley." Wooyoung raised an eyebrow before answering cockily.

"Wait! I can see it.. I can see many police cars at the end of that alley and... Is that a prison?" Wooyoung squinted his eyes pretending he was trying to see something far away, mocking what Dongwook had said. Wooyoung walked away from the door to sit on a chair that was placed only a few steps away from the door.

"What will you say in court? You have too much evidence and too many witnesses to claim innocence. Mental disorder? You're an expert so you must know all about it. Drool a little and pretend to be crazy- oh, but won't you end up in a mental institution then?" Wooyoung rambled on as he had seated himself on the chair.

"I don't feel shame for what I have done. It's not pride, but I do feel a sense of responsibility. Murder is a quite hard process, you can't do it without a sense of duty. So why should I lie about that?" Dongwook spoke as he looked at the door that kept him trapped in the room.

"Innocent due to mental disorder!" Wooyoung exclaimed, mocking the voice of a judge, hitting his fist against the table a few times to act out the judge made his final decision.

San and Hongjoong had been walking for almost two hours now and they were now in a higher spot so San took out the phone to see how the signal was there. His hand covered the top of the screen, shielding the sun from shining on it so he couldn't see the display on the phone.

"Only one bar..." Hongjoong said peeking over the younger's shoulder then looking a San. Despite only having one bar they decided to try to call the police anyway since the snow storm was gradually picking up.

San walked a little further up the path and called the police. The call did go through but because of the wind and falling snow he was having a difficult time hearing the officer and the officer almost couldn't make out what he said either.

"They want to know his appearance!" San yelled as he looked over his shoulder to face Hongjoong.

"What?" Hongjoong questioned.

"Any characteristics." San said then handed him the phone. Hongjoong thought for a moment, thinking of any noticeable characteristics.

"He has a knife mark on his left hand." Hongjoong informed the officer on the other end of the line.

"Yes, the accident on Christmas Eve! Hello?!" Hongjoong looked at the phone then San.

"It got cut off again.." The older groaned before dialling the number again. He looked frozen at the phone for a moment as he saw a number on the list of contacts he recognised. San looked confused at him when he saw Hongjoong was acting weird.

"What is it?" San asked.

"The school's number is on the list.." Hongjoong answered as he looked at San. The later walked over to him to have a look too. Hongjoong looked through the call records and read the out loud for San to hear.

"December 24th, 7:02 pm." Hongjoong slowly turned his head to look at San and the younger was already looking back at him.

_ I don't pray. _

_ No, I can't pray. _

_ What reason will I give for the one high above to save me? _

_ Will I claim to be good and ask to be saved? _

_ Or ask to be pitied? _

_ Or that I'm special, so look after me? _

_ Think of someone who died today. _

_ Did misfortune come his way because he wasn't kind? _

_ Did cancer begin to grow because their life is not worthy? _

_ So praying is meaningless. _

Jun entered the hallway that led to the detention room and saw Wooyoung sitting outside of it when he got closer. He was casually playing with the bullets in his hand when he saw Jun. He smiled at the older but noticed the smile wasn't returned as usual.

"Give that to me." Jun said in a stern voice, referring to the bullets in Wooyoung's hand. Wooyoung just looked at him for a moment then Jun pulled out his knife to prove his point. The younger stood up, but before he could do anything Jun made a cut on Wooyoung's hand, making the bullets fall to the ground. The younger groaned in pain as he held his bloody hand and Jun quickly picked up the fallen bullets.

_ Neither God nor destiny differentiates good and evil. _

Jun looked at the hunched over boy for a moment before he opened the door to the detention room walking inside to look at Dongwook.

"Teacher.." Jun said gently. Dongwook looked at the younger male in front of him and smiled, Jun returning the smile.

_ Just like that kid, Moon Junhui. _

_ That boy, Moon Junhui. _

_ He was my first patient. _

_ He had been sexually abused since he was a child. _

_ This had turned him into a mindless being. _

_ He shut himself off from the world, like a hermit crab in a shell. _

_ A cycle of repression, escape and bodily symptoms, and an obsession with a particular person. _

_ Just as a baby chicken freshly hatched, attaches itself to the first being it sees, he had become my stalker. _

_ He's my escape, but also a double-edged sword. _

_ He's my weapon, my monster. _

_ He was my question. _

_ Is a monster born or created? _

**30th of December, 10:25 AM**

Yunho was sitting in the washing room, notebook in his hand when Mingi entered and asked where the new boy was.

"Moon Junhui?" Yunho asked while standing up to walk over to Mingi. The younger took something from his pocket and showed it to Yunho.

"He said he didn't have a spare battery." Yunho's eyes traveled to the spare battery in Mingi's hand then he looked back at the male in front of him.

"That guy is strange.." Mingi trailed off.

Wooyoung sat on a chair outside the detention room, holding his bleeding hand when Dongwook walked out with Junhui trailing behind him. Dongwook looked at the student for a moment then told him to open up his hand. Wooyoung's gaze lifted from his hand to the killer standing in front of him, then his eyes moved to Junhui beside him. Dongwook kneeled down in front of the young boy and took his hand into his own, he examined the cut then spoke up.

"The nerves are fine. You just need to control the bleeding. You may have a scar though." Dongwook looked at Wooyoung while he talked, but the student's focus was on Junhui who was standing a few feet away from them.

"You should be relieved you know. I was in surgery for three hours because of that blade." Dongwook lifted his left hand, showing Wooyoung a similar scar in the middle of his palm. Junhui looked at Dongwook before apologising shyly "Sorry.." When Junhui had apologised the sound of the door opening could be heard which made Wooyoung yell out to whoever was about to walk inside.

"Don't come in!" Yunho and Mingi entered the room and Junhui immediately pointed the gun towards them. The two looked at each other then glanced around the room, taking in the situation.

Dongwook guided the three students into the detention room and locked the door from the outside. His shoulder was still painfully sore and was most likely dislocated. Junhui walked over to him and told him he'd take care of it, he placed his hands on Dongwook's shoulder and arm before giving it a hard pull. The killer groaned in pain and Junhui let him go only to hug him tightly instead.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." The apology was rushed but Junhui was genuinely worried about him being hurt and felt bad for putting him through more pain. Dongwook pulled away from the hug and smiled slightly at the boy before him, thanking him for taking care of his shoulder.

Yeosang was standing in the empty kitchen, slowly sipping on the water he had gotten himself a few minutes ago. He heard a small voice counting from one to ten all of a sudden and turned his head to the right to see a small boy with his left arm against the wall, head resting against his arm as he counted from ten and down.

" _ Have you all hidden? I'm going to find you. _ " The small boy said cheerfully after he finished counting then lifted his head from his arm.

"Hongjoong..."

"Hongjoong."

"Kim Hongjoong!" San ran up to Hongjoong who with hurried steps was walking back the way they had come from. Hongjoong stopped for a moment to turn around and face San.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" San questioned when he was closer to the older.

"If he helps the doctor out..-" Hongjoong started but San cut him off.

"They'll just try to run. They can't get far in this weather."

"He could try to take the others hostage again." Hongjoong exclaimed frustrated.

"All by himself?"

"The gun, San."

"You have the gun." San said in a matter of factly tone. Hongjoong's eyes went from their focus on San's face to the ground instead.

"Will he feel safe with a gun that has no bullets?" San questioned- guessing right away that his senior had given it to Mingi, before continuing.

"I don't understand your nor Mingi."

"Do you think everyone is like you, San? Do you think we all think with our minds and not our hearts?!" Hongjoong was shouting both because of the strong wind, making it hard to hear each other, but also because his emotions were taking over. San looked questionably at him after his little outburst.

"What's wrong with you?"

"You're treating me like a fool!" Hongjoong looked the younger, his face showing a painful expression.

"Me?" San asked while walking closer to Hongjoong. "When it comes to Mingi.. Your head seems to freeze over..-" San walked past the older and Hongjoong just stared at the spot San had been standing at before turning around and tackling the younger to the ground. San rolled onto his back and Hongjoong took the opportunity to sit on his stomach to keep him in place as he threw punch after punch at the boy beneath him. San got out of the elder's grip after struggling for a while and stood back up. Hongjoong was quick to grab San by the collar of his jacket, looking San in the eyes, his gaze showing every emotion he felt, hatred, anger, hurt, worry. San just stared back blankly, not intimidated by the smaller boy. None of them said anything until Hongjoong pushed San backwards as hard as he could. San stumbled back a few steps, first when it was too late Hongjoong saw the slope San was about to fall down.

"Wait!" Hongjoong quickly tried reaching for San's hand before he could fall, but San lost his footing and stumbled backwards down the slope.

"San!" Hongjoong yelled frantically.

Jongho was getting a snack from the vending machine when he dropped one of his coins, making it roll a few steps away from him. When he bent down to pick it up, he saw Dongwook pass by the window outside and he quickly pushed himself behind the wall, to avoid getting caught. He peeked around the corner again to see the killer was gone again and to his luck hadn't noticed him. Jongho quickly got off the floor and went to his dorm. When inside he grabbed his bag and put various necessities inside of it.

Dongwook had gone back to the teacher's dorms to take a quick shower and change his clothes before he made his way back to the three students that were locked up in the detention room. He unlocked the door to the room and looked at them.

"Mingi, Yunho, come with me." Dongwook stepped back so the two could walk out of the room, Junhui was standing outside as well, observing them quietly. When the two were outside Wooyoung walked over to the door to look at the killer.

"Aren't you running away?" Wooyoung challenged. Dongwook looked at the student after he had locked the door again.

"I have something to do." Dongwook smiled.

"Since when do you have time?"

"I've made some time for this."

"What do you want to do? If you wanted to kill us, this would have ended a long time ago. You're not even curious about who really sent the letters. What is it you want?" Wooyoung's tone was stern and his expression was unreadable as he spoke. Dongwook took a deep breath.

"I don't think you were there.. News was on the radio a few days earlier. Your fellow students all talked about it. They could talk because they didn't know it was me. Some were very critical, but I remember what Choi San said.  _ Are monsters like him born or created? _ "

"I realised then that I had also been seeking that answer. What I wondered all my life, San asked for me. Me, serial killer, Lee Dongwook. Was I born this way or was I made? So I'm doing an experiment to find out. With all of you, the most gifted children in this country." Dongwook had turned away from Wooyoung by now while he was talking.

"If I can provoke you to turn into monsters, then monsters are created. If my experiment fails, then monsters are born that way. Isn't this fascinating? I told you before.. In the hearts of a few of you, the incubation has already begun." Dongwook smirked at Wooyoung when he finished his little speech, Wooyoung however didn't show any reaction, he was merely glaring at the killer.

_ The incubation has begun. _

_ What will break out of the shell? _

"San! Choi San!?" Hongjoong yelled as he looked over the slope to see San laying in the snow surrounded by small trees and twigs. Luckily San hadn't fallen far, but the fall was enough to make Hongjoong worried.

"What's wrong!?" Hongjoong yelled again when he heard San groan in pain. San lifted up the fabric of his jeans a bit to see blood streaming down his right shin. He whined at the sight at looked back up at Hongjoong.

"My leg's broken!" San yelled back to answer the older, lips quivering from the pain and the cold wind. Hongjoong took a few steps away from the edge before falling to his knees, looking around the area with a defeated look on his face.  _ What was he supposed to do now? _

"11:57 am. Yunho, you have 30 minutes to bring someone here by 12:30 pm."

Dongwook had taken Mingi and Yunho to the cafeteria. Dongwook was seated at the head of the tables with Mingi handcuffed to the table on his left, Yunho standing beside Mingi. The killer looked at Yunho at his lack of response and continued talking.

"You can run though. They've probably already reported to the police and they'll soon realise that they caught the wrong man. So stay hidden for a day and you'll be free." Yunho lifted his eyes from the ground to the killer in front of him when he stopped talking, but before Yunho could protest, Dongwook spoke again.

"You can abandon Mingi to save your own life. I don't mind. As I just said, I want to see if you can be turned into monsters." Dongwook looked at his watch. "11.59 am, go in one minute."

"Who should I look for?" Yunho questioned in a small voice, but he kept his eyes on the killer. Dongwook let out a small laugh.

"Ahh, I forgot to tell you.. Park Seonghwa. Find Park Seonghwa."

"Why Seonghwa? What about Yeosang or Jongho?" Yunho asked, slightly confused. Dongwook's eyes shifted from the table to his hands before he looked back at Yunho.

"Because before I was given an electric shock, Seonghwa confessed to me.. That he sent the letter."

"Really?" Mingi asked skeptically, not really believing what the killer was telling them.

"No way.." Yunho mumbled to himself, but Dongwook heard him too.

"Well I do doubt his confession myself, but without evidence, I have to believe him." Dongwook's lips curled into a small smile at the end of his words.

"Seonghwa, that fucking bastard.." Mingi's whisper was barely audible as he spoke.

"Anyway, we're starting the game again as the clock has now passed 12, Yunho." Yunho nodded slowly and left without looking at Mingi once.

The older student made his way to his dorm, he pulled down the handle on his door and entered his room. When he was inside he let out a deep sigh before walking over to his dark wooden desk and opened a drawer, taking out the diary Taeyong had left behind. He placed the black leather diary on the desk and leaned against the edge of it. His gaze was fixed on the floor before he lifted it to look at himself through a mirror that hung on the wall in front of him.

"Are you enjoying this?" Mingi asked, disgusted. He was still handcuffed to the table in the cafeteria on the killer's left side.

"Yes actually, I do. This is exciting- to see whose monster will hatch out of its shell first." Dongwook looked around the room, an amused smile on his face.

"Even if it does hatch, it won't be a monster like you, you're too twisted of a kind."

"No living organism is born complete, they all grow. Do you wanna know who I look forward to the most? Kim Hongjoong."

"Hongjoong?" Mingi asked skeptically, no way was Hongjoong gonna turn into a monster like the one in front of Mingi right now.

"You don't believe me?" Dongwook gave the student a wicked smirk then took a sip of his tea.

"Whatever you do, he won't turn bad. He'd probably rather die instead." Mingi gave the killer a bored look before looking away. He knew Hongjoong better than anyone else, even though they didn't fully get along anymore.

"Why? Because his mother died after rescuing him?" Mingi looked surprised at the killer. How did he know? Dongwook took notice of Mingi's surprised expression and answered his unspoken question.

"I read the student records, a pre-check before consultations."

"She saved her son and was hit by a car, a touching scene of motherhood. But what about the boy who lived? Five years old, losing his mother would be like losing the world. His scars wouldn't heal, he was probably told to be a son that his mother would be proud of. He's been good until now, but the more the elastic is stretched... the harder it snaps when broken." Mingi tried to keep an emotionless face but he flinched once in a while from the words. Dongwook was right..

"Once his monster is awakened... It will be much bigger and greater than all of ours put together."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Mingi exclaimed, not wanting to hear more of the killer's blasphemy at Hongjoong.

Seonghwa was seated in the school's theatre watching a movie on the big screen. Yunho entered the room, letting sunshine from the outside light up the dark room.

"Wooyoung's looking for you." Yunho said with a straight face.

"Why?" Seonghwa asked annoyed.

"He wants to talk about what to do when the police arrive." Rolling his eyes Seonghwa muttered a small 'fine' and stood up to follow the younger. Walking down the stairs, Seonghwa asked if San and Hongjoong still weren't back yet. Yunho told the him that they weren't.

"Isn't it about time?" Seonghwa wondered out loud.

"I'm sure they're coming soon." Yunho said confidently. Seonghwa walked past him to go to the bathroom and Yunho followed him. While Seonghwa was doing his business Yunho saw a long thin wooden pole in the corner of the bathroom. He picked up the wood and walked back towards Seonghwa who was now back and washing his hands. When Seonghwa looked up in the mirror he saw Yunho behind him. Seonghwa quickly dodged away when Yunho swung the pole at him, hitting the mirror instead so it shattered into pieces.

Seonghwa ran from the bathroom as fast as he could and into the hallway, Yunho hot on his trail. When Seonghwa entered a classroom, Yunho stopped running and took a deep breath before walking into said room. Turning the lights on he looked around for the older male. Quietly Yunho walked down to the end of the room. As he walked, he noticed a pair of shoes hiding behind a desk.

"Park Seonghwa, where are you? The doctor wants to see you. I heard everything, you know. You told him you sent the letters? Really Seonghwa, you surprise me." Yunho's voice was taunting as he slowly walked towards the shoes without giving up the fact that he had seen them. When he was near the desk he kicked it away only to see Seonghwa had placed his shoes there to fool him. Before Yunho could react, Seonghwa came out of the blind spot he had been hiding in and tackled him from the ground. Seonghwa got on top of the younger and held his arms pinned down with his knees while he grabbed Yunho's collar.

"You psycho! You dare try to fool me?" Seonghwa punched Yunho's left cheek as hard as he could.

"Come on, don't you have something to say?!" Another punch, Yunho could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and tried to reach for the wooden pole that was an arms length away from him. Seonghwa grabbed him by his collar again and gave him a crazy look.

"Why are you taking me to the psycho? Huh!?" Seonghwa was breathing heavily from the adrenaline that was running through his veins.

"Right.. I told him I sent the letters so I could live. The rest of you talked among yourselves, you all thought about how you could survive too! Is it proper when you do it, but wrong when I do!?" Seonghwa started hitting the boy beneath him again, taking out all his pent up anger and frustrations on the taller male.

San was sitting in the cold snow, holding his jacket close and trying to keep the little warmth his body had left. His leg was hurting like crazy but the bleeding had almost stopped. San lifted his eyes from his lap to look up at the top of the slope. Hongjoong wasn't there anymore, he had left some time ago. San shivered from the cold wind as it was starting to pick up again. Maybe Hongjoong had realised he wasn't worth the trouble and saw it as an opportunity to finally claim his spot as the number one student of the school.

Hongjoong had left San at the slope where he was stuck to find something that could help him pull the younger male up again. He found a rail along the trail they had walked on, it was made out of wooden poles and a thick robe to keep people from falling. Hongjoong kicked at one of the poles to make it break but to no avail as it was completely frozen and so was the earth. He walked further down the trail looking around for anything useful. Who was he kidding? There was nothing useful in the mountains. Would he even be able to help San up again?

Running through the knee high snow Hongjoong made his way over to a police car that was almost entirely covered in snow. He had spotted it when he was walking along the trail earlier. When he came up to the car he saw two dead police officers who were almost completely gone in the snow. They must be the ones that had caught Dongwook before he had escaped again, Hongjoong concluded. Looking around the car, he found a roll of rope in the trunk. When he was about to walk away he noticed a gun laying by one of the officers, picking it up he put it in his coat and started walking back to San.

Jun had found Yeosang while roaming around the school and brought him to Dongwook in the cafeteria. Yeosang was now seated on the right side of the killer.

"Has he started talking?" Dongwook asked, his arms resting on the table as he looked at Yeosang.

"Only counting numbers.." Yeosang muttered quietly.

"He just looked at you before then?" Yeosang looked over his shoulder to see the small boy standing against the wall in the corner of the cafeteria, counting from one and up.

"Why do you think the monster in the corner keeps counting?" Dongwook asked while rubbing his hands together.

"To put pressure on me." Yeosang kept his eyes on the small boy that only he could see.

"Pressure?"

"To pressure me into remembering, into finding him quickly." Yeosang looked back at the killer to his left. Dongwook took out a pen from his inner pocket in his coat, tapping it almost in a rhythm on the table.

"Yeosang, do you want to know who the monster in the corner is?" The sound of the pen against the table echoed through his ears.

"Maybe." Dongwook tapped the pen a few more times, the last one a little harder. Yeosang looked at the killer for a moment before his head fell forward, his eyes closing at the same time.

San was sitting in the cold snow where Hongjoong had left him almost an hour ago, the strong cold wind making his body shiver and his teeth clatter. His breathing was unsteady and heavy due to the pain in his injured leg. He rubbed his hands together, hoping to gain some sort of warmth then he closed his eyes- maybe Hongjoong really wasn't coming back. A few minutes after drifting in and out of consciousness, he felt something hit the side of his head.

San opened his eyes slowly and looked towards the top of the slope where Hongjoong now was standing again, holding onto one end of a rope.

"Tie it around your torso!" Hongjoong yelled from above before disappearing out of the younger's sight. San looked at the robe Hongjoong had thrown at him and started tying it around himself with shaking hands, letting out a groan of pain whenever he shifted to much.

Hongjoong had wrapped the rope around a tree and held tightly onto the other end. Taking a deep breath he asked San if he was ready, the younger yelling back in approval. Hongjoong started pulling on the rope and San let out a small noise of pain when he felt the rope tighten around his torso. After a few minutes of trying to pull San up, Hongjoong's hands were covered in blood from the friction of the rough fabric sliding against his hands. He halted his action for a moment as memories of San started entering his mind along with what Seonghwa had said to him a few days ago.

_ "Choi San. A born genius that Kim Hongjoong can never beat. You want to kill him, right?" _

Hongjoong's hands slowly loosened their grip on the rope that was pulling San up, making the younger slide back down the slope a little. The thoughts and words kept swirling around in his head. Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts he tightened his hold on the rope once again and started pulling San up the rest of the way.

When San was finally back on the trail in a safe place, Hongjoong fell to the snow covered ground from exhaustion. His eyes were stinging with tears as he looked up at the bright blue sky. After taking a deep breath, a tear finally fell from the corner of his eye and he turned to lay on his side so his back was towards San who was also laying on the ground.

"Are you alright?" San asked breathlessly as he looked at the older boy's back.

"Yeah.." Hongjoong mumbled before sitting back up to look at San. The look Hongjoong saw in the younger's eyes was something he had never seen before. San was slightly sniffling and his eyes had a hint of fear in them. San noticed Hongjoong looking at him with concern and the younger quickly looked away.

"I thought you wouldn't come back..." San admitted between whimpers of pain and his slight sniffling.

Seonghwa looked down at Yunho who he was still sitting on top of. The younger's face had bruises all over it and he was bleeding from his lips, nose and eyebrow. Seonghwa gave the younger a weak slap to the cheek before standing up and walking towards the door, leaving Yunho coughing on the floor with blood dripping down from his mouth.

"Don't criticise me when you would let someone die in your stead too. Isn't that right?" Seonghwa asked angrily but his voice cracked at the last word.

"No.. I wouldn't do that.." Yunho said barely above a whisper, the answer made Seonghwa turn back around to look at the blood covered boy.

"What?" Seonghwa started marching towards Yunho, but before he could do anything to him, Yunho grabbed the wooden pole he hadn't been able to reach earlier and hit the side of Seonghwa's head as hard as he could in his state, making the weapon snap in half. Seonghwa fell to the floor while holding his head, letting out a series of groans and whimpers from the pain.

Quickly standing up again, Seonghwa made his way to the door, trying to escape Yunho who was now back on his feet again. Before he managed to get to the door Yunho hit Seonghwa on the back with the broken stick, making the older fall to the floor in pain. Seonghwa's breathing was superficial and uneven as he laid on the floor, fully drained from energy as the pain was taking over his adrenaline rush.

Yunho looked down at the older while gently touching his bruised up cheek. Letting out a hiss when his finger made contact with the skin, he let out a groan of frustration before starting to hit Seonghwa with what was left of the snapped wooden pole.

"I'm not you. I wouldn't do that. Not me!" Yunho yelled, hitting the helpless Seonghwa one last time before throwing his weapon to the side. Yunho looked around the classroom they were in and he ended up seeing his own reflection in a small mirror on the wall. His right eyebrow had a deep open cut and blood was trailing down from the wound to his cheek and down to his jaw. His nose was bleeding and so was the left side of his bottom lip. Yunho almost didn't recognise himself in the mirror with blood smeared all over his face, but what scared him the most was the look and emotions in his eyes. His eyes only held hatred and anger, no signs of regret or sorrow.

Yeosang's head was hanging low and his eyes were closed. Mingi was sitting on the opposite side of the table in front of Yeosang while the killer was at the end of the table, Jun standing loyal by the killer's side.

"Where are you right now?" Dongwook asked Yeosang who was now under his hypnosis.

"At home." Yeosang answered truthfully in a monotone voice.

"Look around you. Who's there?" Dongwook kept tapping his pen against the steel table to keep Yeosang under the hypnosis.

"Mum.."

"What is she doing?"

"Making pancakes."

"Now we're going to find the monster in the corner. Where should we begin?" Dongwook looked at Yeosang and waited for his answer.

"Inside the closet."

"Open it on the count of three. Don't be afraid." Dongwook started counting down from three and Yeosang's breathing became unsteady, showing he was obviously frightened to see what was inside the closet that he was seeing in his mind.

Before the killer could say ' _ one _ ' Yeosang's eyes snapped open and he looked around with wide eyes, trying to steady his breathing again. Dongwook looked surprised for a second but quickly hid his surprise again.

"I want to stop." Yeosang said in his usual bored but small voice once his breathing was steady, not once looking at the criminal to his left.

"You've done that to me too." Mingi broke the silence as he finally put the pieces together after witnessing what just happened. Dongwook looked away from Yeosang to face Mingi. The younger boy's eyes were starting to get tearful as he thought back to the day where he had talked with Dongwook alone in the nursing room before trying to commit suicide later the same day.

"Did you hypnotise me, too?"

"You react well to hypnosis so it didn't take you long to fall into a deep hypnosis.. But Yeosang doesn't react well." Dongwook gave Mingi a small smile as he looked at the student.

"Did you tell me to slit my wrists after hypnotising me?" Mingi asked in disbelief. Dongwook simply told him it was part of the therapy session.

"When did I ever ask you to hypnotise me?! What did you find out about me?!" Mingi yelled frustrated at the killer in front of him. Dongwook folded his hands neatly and placed them on top of the table.

"The reason why you hate yourself. Your love and respect towards your mum, and her affair." Mingi started trembling at his words. Before he could think rationally he grabbed the tea cup that had been placed in front of him and threw it towards Dongwook, missing the killer on purpose. Jun quickly took out his gun and pointed it towards Mingi's head at the thought of his saviour getting hurt. Dongwook simply placed a hand on Jun's outstretched arm and told him to put it away, which he did.

"You wanted to die after you found out about your mum. But that's nothing more than a child whining. The most effective treatments for someone like you, was to make you realise what death was like. And my treatment worked. You didn't talk about wanting to die after that, now did you?" Dongwook looked at Mingi. The student didn't say anything back but he knew that even though it was messed up, Dongwook was right.

Seonghwa and Yunho had calmed down from their session of beating each other half dead and had now arrived in the cafeteria too.

"Sir.." Yunho spoke softly but the killer held up his hand, indicating he wasn't done talking to Mingi yet.

"Do you still want to slit your wrists? If you still want death, I will make your wish come true." Dongwook said sternly and grabbed the gun Jun had placed on the table earlier, pointing it at Mingi.

"You have until the count of three. Decide for yourself whether you want to live or die.

"One... Two..." Dongwook loaded the gun and placed his hand on the trigger. Mingi was shaking in his chair but he kept his eyes on the table.

"Three."

"I want to  _ live _ .. I don't want to die! I want to live with my mum, no matter what." Mingi answered as tears started to well up in his eyes. Dongwook lowered the gun and a smirk spread across his lips.

"End of therapy." The killer said joyfully and looked at Mingi. However, his smirk faded as he once again pointed the gun at the tall student seated beside him.

"It's a pity though.. Since Park Seonghwa confessed to writing the letters yesterday, he pointed you out as the one having most sins." Surprised, Mingi looked away from the killer to glance at Seonghwa who stood a few feet away beside a beat up Yunho.

All eyes were on Seonghwa in mere seconds and the oldest male swallowed nervously but his face stayed emotionless.

"Why..?" Mingi asked bewildered, his face showing the mix of emotions he was feeling right now. Hurt, anger, betrayal and fear for losing his life.

"Seonghwa, tell us why you chose Mingi," Dongwook spoke sternly, not giving the student any room for disobeying. Seonghwa kept his eyes on Mingi as he spoke coldly.

"Because I  _ hate _ you."

_ No I don't. _

"I hated when you clung to Hongjoong, I also hated you when you stopped talking with Hongjoong."

_ No I didn't. _

"I hate the way you  _ ridicule _ me. I want to kill you because you pity me."

_ Lies. _

Seonghwa's voice was starting to tremble at the last few words but he quickly suppressed the last few emotions left in him. Dongwook looked at Mingi who was now looking down at the table in front of him.

"That's his reason. It's a shame that you realised you wanted to live. Shall we finish the game now?" Dongwook placed his finger on the trigger and aimed at Mingi's temple. Squinting his eyes closed tightly, the student waited for him to pull the trigger, for the impact to hit him, to then feel nothing at all, just like he had been feeling the last few years of his life.

But it never came.

Yunho had stepped in between the gun and Mingi, looking down at Dongwook with a serious expression. The student slowly walked a few steps away from them before speaking.

"The game isn't over yet." Dongwook rose from his seat and looked confused at Yunho.

"Seonghwa didn't send the letters. I was the one who did it." The killer looked at Yunho's back that was facing him, skeptically lifting an eyebrow.

"Any evidence?"

Yunho took a deep breath before reaching into his black coat, pulling out a dark leather covered notebook. He turned around and displayed the book to the killer.

"Lee Taeyong's diary."

"Why..?" Mingi asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't know Yunho as well as some of the others, but never had he guessed that Yunho would've sent the letters, and at what cost?

"The buried sins, of course. Someone died, but no one felt guilty about it. That made me mad." Mingi lowered his eyes from Yunho to look down at his lap.

"Jung Yunho, speak up on behalf of the dead person. Who, here, is the most sinful?"

"I'll tell you when everyone is here."

"Are you trying to buy time? I can't allow that."

"Then you pick the most sinful one among us. What will you do if I point out San now when he's not here? Or what about Hongjoong? Three out of six are not here and you want me to pick? That's no fun." Yunho's lips curled into a small smirk and the killer gave him a sleazy smile.

"What if they don't return?"

"They will. If Junhui is right and the roads are closed due to snow, then they can't stay out all night. They'll be back before dark."

"Fine. The deadline is 7 pm." Yunho nodded, happy he had bought everyone some time.

Dongwook led the students back to the teacher's dorm where they would be locked up again- by now it had become their personal prison. Yunho was the last to walk through the entrance that would keep them trapped once again, but before he could, Dongwook spoke behind him.

"Will you be fine?" The killer smirked.

"You think they'll harm me?" Yunho averted his eyes to Seonghwa and Mingi who was now looking at him.

"That's fine, but when you do, you better be prepared to kill me. Otherwise, I'll point you out as the most sinful." Yunho spoke to the two students in front of him before walking past them, and further into the dorms, the two following quietly behind him.

Once inside the main room of the teacher's dorms, Seonghwa leaned against the cold wall while Mingi took a seat beside Yunho on the couch.

"Tell us what you're planning to do.. You bought us time, now what?" Mingi spoke softly.

"I don't have any more plans." Yunho leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling.

"I will point someone out once Hongjoong and San returns." Yunho looked back at Mingi, a defeated look on his face.

"Do you know what that means?" Mingi glared at him, not entirely comfortable with the thought of his life being in Yunho's hands.

The older stood up from the couch and made his way over to the window, taking in the snow slowly falling outside, adding a new duvet of pure white snow that hadn't been touched on top of the already fallen snow.

"I dreamt about this situation. Everyone listening to me and watching my every move. The moment I became the center of attention."

"You must be happy that your dream has come true, but don't you feel guilty? You've put all of us in this mess." Mingi snarled at the older while glaring at him.

"I heard you laughing with Hongjoong at Taeyong's love letter." Mingi's sharp eyes turned soft at Yunho's words and he looked down at the ground, feeling ashamed with his past actions.

"You said so yourself, none of you are pure, sinless victims. All of you are guilty when it comes to Taeyong's death. You should repent over and over again." Yunho turned around and his eyes met with Seonghwa's.

The sun was starting to set as the two males walked through the snow. San's arm was draped over Hongjoong's shoulders as the older supported his weight while they fought their way through the snow. Breathing heavily they came to a halt when the school appeared in front of them.  _ Finally _ . They were back again.

Hongjoong held San tightly as he pulled out a gun from his jacket, the gun he had found next to the police car. San gave him a confused look but the older simply handed him the gun. The younger checked the gun for bullets only to be disappointed, it was empty. San tucked it securely into his inner pocket in his long coat.

When they arrived at the front doors of the school Hongjoong helped San lean against the wall for support before taking the keycard to unlock the doors. The scanner denied access and Hongjoong pulled a few times on the door.

"What's wrong?" San asked out of breath from walking and from the pain that was taking over his body.

"The security level's been changed.. We can't get in unless someone opens it from the inside."

Wooyoung sat comfortably leaned back in a big leather chair that looked like it was taken straight out of a mafia movie. Jun had locked him up in the teacher's dorm per request by Dongwook, he wanted all the hostages to be in the same place, that way he could easily keep an eye on them rather than if they were scattered across the school. Wooyoung turned his head to look at Yunho who stood a few steps away from him.

"What will you do?" He asked, amused.

"I wish I had a plan too.." Yunho mumbled as he kept his eyes on the falling snow outside. Looking at the snow falling freely outside seemed to be the only thing that kept his hope from fading. The world outside of these walls was still the same, it had only changed inside of the walls.

"I think keeping a secret is a difficult thing. I think that's why I've grown tired before the rest of you. All I want is for this to be over quickly... he's here, Hongjoong." Yunho spoke casually while looking down at Hongjoong outside. Wooyoung quickly scrambled from his seat and made his way over to the window. Indeed, Hongjoong was there making his way around the school.

Wooyoung made his way into the main room where Seonghwa and Mingi were, he quickly waved off their confused faces and made his way to their now deceased teacher's room. He looked outside the window and was met with Hongjoong waving his arms at him.

He was about to open the window but was reminded by Mingi that an alarm would go off if he did that. Grumbling to himself he saw Hongjoong write something in the snow. It was hard to make out because it was getting dark but finally he realised what Hongjoong meant. Secret passage. The way Wooyoung had left the school the first time, through the ventilation system.

Seonghwa helped the frantic Wooyoung with finding something to write on the window with, so he could explain the way to Hongjoong. Seonghwa found a red lipstick and passed it to the younger. Quickly Wooyoung drew a simple map on the window for Hongjoong to follow. Shaking his head at Wooyoung, he couldn't make out what it showed or said because of the light.

Wooyoung quickly rolled down the blinders, hoping it would help. It did, Hongjoong could clearly see what Wooyoung had drawn and the spot he had marked out to where the laptop with the CCTV would be. Nodding to himself, he hurried back to where he had left San sitting against the building to explain the plan. Hongjoong would go in on his own and come back for San. The older took off his jacket and placed it around San's shoulders, rubbing the younger's arms for a moment to assure him he'd be back.

After getting inside the building he headed to the room where Wooyoung's laptop with the CCTV was. He took it and hid it in an isolated area where he would bring San as well. Quickly looking over the CCTV to make sure the coast was clear, he brought in San. Hongjoong held the younger closer to his chest, rubbing his back to help warm him up while they looked at the computer, thinking of their next move.

"The new guy is in the kitchen, I'll get him first." San nodded, agreeing with the older's plan. Hongjoong made his way down from their hiding spot and sneaked into the cafeteria while San stayed back and watched everything that was happening through the computer screen.

Armed with a steel pipe Hongjoong sneaked up closer to the newcomer. He hid behind a kitchen counter and when Jun went to take out the food from the microwave Hongjoong walked up behind him, ready to knock out the taller male. Before Hongjoong could hit him, Jun caught sight of him in the reflection from the glass of the microwave.

Jun quickly moved out of the way and Hongjoong swung the steel pipe at him once again. Like it was nothing, Jun caught the pipe with his hands and elbowed the smaller male in the chest before kicking him in the stomach when he bent over, causing Hongjoong to fall to the floor. Jun looked at the smaller male laying on the floor for a moment before grabbing his hair and hoisting him back on his feet. Jun punched his cheek then bent Hongjoong's arm backwards on his back, deeming him helpless.

San had seen everything and had made his way to the cafeteria to help out the older. Jun felt something poking into his back and when he turned around he was faced with San pointing a gun at him.

"Let go of him!" San yelled, but his body was slowly starting to give in to the insane amount of pain he was in because of his broken leg. The pain made his hands tremble and his head felt heavy. Jun didn't let go of Hongjoong, instead he used Hongjoong as a shield to protect himself.

"Do you think I'm playing around?" San asked, aggravated. Jun's eyes shifted between San's face and the gun a few times before he released his grip on Hongjoong, pushing him in San's direction. Hongjoong rolled his sore shoulder but quickly started tying Jun's hands together with a piece of rope he had bought along from when he had pulled San up from the slope. Tying the rope tightly around Jun's wrists, he let go off him and looked at San.

"Take him and go and hide. I'll go look for the others." Hongjoong turned around and started walking but soon stopped. He took a few steps back as Dongwook walked closer to him with a wicked smile while pointing the gun in his face.

"Where on earth have you been?" Dongwook smiled. San positioned the gun in the killer's direction but Dongwook grabbed Hongjoong and pressed his own gun against the student’s head.

"Doctor.." Jun spoke nervously at the risk of his saviour getting shot.

"Don't move." Dongwook smirked sickly at San.

"Goodness.. What should we do about this?" The killer chuckled, amusement lacing his voice.

"We can't stay like this all night. You look like you're on the verge of collapsing too." The killer smirked at San who was sweating and breathing harshly.

"How about we both drop the gun on the count of three?" San didn't answer.

"If not, shall we both fire on the count of three then?" Hongjoong's eyes widen slightly at the killers suggestion and his eyes met Jun's equally scared ones.

"It's simple. But San, have you ever killed a person?" Dongwook challenged with a hint of confidence in his voice. San was now pointing the gun at Jun's head instead of the killer.

"You don't think I can fire?" San asked, emotionless.

"I don't know?" If San could feel emotions like everyone else, he would've definitely wanted to slap that smirk of Dongwook's face.

"I have difficulty delivering emotions. I don't know detailed emotions like guilt or conscience." Now it was San's turn to smirk as the killer's smile fell slightly. The old clockwork in the corner of the room started ringing, indicating it was now seven pm.

"Seven pm. The bell will sound seven times. On the seventh and last bell, I will shoot Kim Hongjoong."

"Five, six...." Dongwook pressed the loaded gun harder against the student’s head, finger on the trigger. Hongjoong's eyes were teary as he locked eyes with San. Letting out a sigh, San lowered the gun from Jun's head and at the same moment the last bell sounded. San gave Hongjoong an unreadable look before collapsing to the floor. He rested his head against the kitchen counter behind him and let out a deep breath.

"The gun." Hongjoong was still in the killers claws, gun being pointed at his temple. San glared at the older man and slid the gun across the floor over to him. Dongwook caught the gun with his foot and stepped on it then pushed Hongjoong forwards, away from him. Stumbling a few steps, Hongjoong looked up at Jun in front of him.

"What are you to him? His son? A follower? Or just an accessory?" Jun felt his heart sink at the younger's last words.

"I wouldn't bet on the life of a young man that I like. Could you do that? Could you put his life on the line and bet on shooting? You know he's using you but pretend you don't." Hongjoong's voice grew more frustrated with each word until Dongwook cut him off with a simple ' _ enough _ '.

Feeling the tears escape the corners of his eyes, Jun used his teeth to try and untie the rope Hongjoong had tied around his hands. Dongwook walked over to him to help, but Jun moved away from his touch, leaving the killer standing emotionless.

Hongjoong was carrying San on his back as they made their way back to the teacher's dorm, their prison. Seonghwa, Mingi and Wooyoung were waiting at the entrance for them but their smiles faded when they saw San's condition and Dongwook slowly walking behind them. Dongwook took in the three awaiting students but noticed Yunho's lack of presence.

"Did you get rid of him?" He asked with a hint of humour in his voice. No one said anything and only focused on getting San and Hongjoong inside so they could tend to San's injuries.

"If you're ready, should we finish this now?" The students turned to look at him- the fact that Yunho had to point out someone hit them like a truck again.

"Hmm.. Let's wait a little, we're not quite ready on this side because of unnecessary chatter. Sorry, give me thirty minutes." Dongwook spoke before disappearing again.

Dongwook entered the kitchen to see Jun quietly eating at the table. He walked over to the younger and squatted down beside him.

"I know that you like me, Jun." Jun stopped eating and turned to face his saviour.

"Still... " He muttered out; Hongjoong's words earlier had sparked a flame of insecurity inside of him. What if it was true? Maybe he was nothing more than an accessory to the man in front of him.

"Just look at me and only listen to me." Dongwook placed his cold hands on top of Jun's warm ones. Jun nodded slowly.

"Just wait a little longer, it'll be over soon. I promise." Dongwook pulled out the gun from his pocket and gave it to the younger. Inspecting it further, Jun noticed they had been switched- his one was loaded which meant the one Dongwook had wasn't.

"It's okay. You'll come running if I'm in danger, right?" He spoke softly when he saw the younger's unsure face, giving Jun a soft smile. Jun's lips curled into a smile and soon he had a wide smile on his lips. Hongjoong didn't know what he was talking about earlier. He didn't know Dongwook the way Jun did.

"There are four rooms for the teachers here. Seonghwa, Wooyoung and I are the only ones who can fight right now. Our plan is to go inside a room each, with a weapon." Hongjoong explained from his position on the couch. As if on cue, Wooyoung came into the room and placed various objects on the table that could be used as weapons. Wooyoung sat on the armrest beside Hongjoong, waiting for him to continue talking. Before he could, Yunho entered the room too, all eyes on him suddenly. Hongjoong's lips curled into a smirk as an idea popped into his head.

A few minutes later everyone was in their designated rooms, waiting to strike. Dongwook entered the teacher's dorms and looked around in the dimly lit hallway.

"Fighting back until the very last moment I see. As expected, that's what makes this fun. In this case, I will let myself enjoy this too." Dongwook placed his hand on the trigger of his gun as he walked further into the hallway.

Stopping in front of a door, he pushed it open slowly to reveal a dark room with no one inside. Walking inside, he switched on the lights and took a look around. It was the main room of the dorms.

"Whose plan is this? Hongjoong? San? Most likely Kim Hongjoong." Dongwook smirked and walked around the deserted room.

"Choi San wouldn't plan something this rash. Did you remember that there are only three bullets left?" Dongwook stopped in front of a narrow hallway with doors on each side.

"Your little plan probably goes something like this. On the count of three you all run in. The first being Kim Hongjoong, he is just too proud to keep hiding." Walking into the hallway, Dongwook pushed a door open, revealing yet another dark but empty room.

"The second... Jung Wooyoung?" Another door was opened and another dark empty room was revealed.

"Who will be the third? Choi San is injured. Mingi can't fight for the sake of his life.  _ Ahh _ .. It must be poor Park Seonghwa." Dongwook came to the room at the end of the hallway and stepped inside to see Yunho sitting on a chair, hands tied together in front of him and a piece of green duct tape over his mouth. Making his way over to the student, he kneeled down beside him and removed the duct tape in one fast motion.

"Didn't I tell you not to trust your friends, kid. You good?" Yunho didn't move nor answer, he kept his eyes focused on his hands in his lap.

"Don't stand on the borderline. That's an age old taboo of both east and west."

_ A line.. as it divides one side from another, the inside from the outside. _

Despite Jun having already had his dinner, Dongwook had yet to eat his. The young male had made him a variation of food then proceeded to go to his room to change into some new clothes since he had spilled some of the ingredients on his current clothing.

When Jun made his way back to the kitchen, all the lights were off. Turning the lights back on, Jun was met with the sight of his prepared dinner to be all over the place and ruined. On the table a laptop was placed with a white sheet of paper over the screen, the paper had a red smiling smiley drawn on it. Taking the paper off, Jun was met with a CCTV video showing Dongwook wandering around in the detention room, locked up. What Jun missed you noticed was the sling the killer's arm was in. It was an old recording.

_ It also determines this side from that, and inside and out. _

Feeling his blood boil Jun ran to the detention room as quickly as he could. Not caring about the consequences of being caught by the students.

_ The line itself is confusing, so do not stand on it. Beware of falling into confusion. _

Dongwook guided Yunho out of the room and into the hallway after untying his hands, gun against the back of his head.

"Now, can you find your bad friends for me?" Yunho turned around to face the killer.

"I don't need to. Wherever they hide, they'll still hear my voice." Yunho turned back around and started walking into the hallway, the killer kept standing in the spot he was in as he watched the student walk away from him.

"I kept thinking about who was the worst, about who was the most involved in Lee Taeyong's death." Yunho stopped walking.

"Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong, Kang Yeosang, Choi San, Song Mingi, Choi Jongho."

"Among them... The one who was most sinful of Taeyong's death... was Taeyong himself." Yunho turned around and looked at the killer.

"Lee Taeyong was the worst."

_ Kids these days are anxious as they stand on the borderline. _

Jun made it to the detention room and ran inside the small room, looking around for the older man, but he wasn't there. Before he could react, Jongho appeared behind him and pushed him further into the room. Jun tried to fight him back but only managed to rip his hearing aid out before Jongho quickly locked the door securely.

Jongho saw his hearing aid laying on the floor but Jun placed his foot on top of it and pressed down, crashing the small device. Pulling out the gun from his jeans, Jun pointed it at the glass, aiming at Jongho on the other side. Then he pulled the trigger, firing the gun.

_ You can't define children who stand on the borderline. Because it's all confusing, it's all taboo. _

"Jung Yunho, if you disappoint me like this..."

"So, the most sinful person is the one who replaced Taeyong... it's me." Yunho cut him off and looked at Dongwook confidently, ready for what was about to happen. For this to end. Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Wooyoung slowly appeared one by one behind Dongwook. The noise made him turn around to look at the three students.

The sound of a gun rang throughout the entire school and Hongjoong's eyes widened.

"That gun's empty!" He yelled.

Dongwook grabbed Yunho by the collar and ran out of the teacher's dorms with him, throwing him down the couple of stairs when outside, then hastily locked the grit, trapping the students once again.

Hongjoong glared at the male in front of him when he felt the grit that held them trapped had been locked, Dongwook simply smirked. Yunho let out a groan from the impact of hitting the hard floor. He felt his eyes lose focus but tried to fight it. Slowly he closed his eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

.

.

.

.

"To all the people inside!"

"The police have surrounded this entire area!"

"I repeat! You are entirely surrounded!"

**2017, December 30th** **_, 1:47 PM_ **

**_Gangwon Do, Region Police Office, Briefing Room_ **

" _ 911? This is Susin High."  _ Hongjoong's voice rang through the speakers of the office, from the recorded phone call the station had received a few nights earlier, on Christmas Eve.

_ "We have someone who was in a car accident." _

"6:55 pm, December 24th. This last report was made at 11:33 am, this morning." An officer stopped the recording and spoke before playing the next voice call they had received this morning.

" _ This is Choi San of Susin High, 2nd year, class 1. There is a serial killer at our school. _ " The call ended abruptly.

"Next." The Commissioner General spoke and the next call was played through the speakers of the office.

" _ He has a knife scar on his left hand. _ " Hongjoong's voice once again filled the quiet room.

"The media hasn't been notified about it yet, sir. The owner of the cell phone is a Moon Junhui, one of Lee Dongwook's patients." Officer Ahn explained to the Commissioner General, Mr. Cha, who would lead the operation.

"Is Junhui with him then?" General Cha questioned and looked at his subordinate.

"We're still not sure about that yet, sir."

**2017, December 30th, 8:52 PM**

Sirens were echoing through the silent night as the police surrounded the outside gate of the school. Ever since they received the call earlier today, the police had been working on matching the descriptions of Lee Dongwook to the character traits the students had given them. They immediately called in authorities to get the roads to the school cleared.

Outside the walls of the school the police had set up a small tent, five big spotlights pointing at the building and a microphone so the people inside the building could hear them. The area was packed with police cars and officers were running around to prepare everything.

A gunshot echoed through the dark night and the officers flinched at the sudden sound. Officer Ahn ran back to his car to call for backup, telling the officer on the other end of the call they had heard a gunshot from inside the school ground.

Dongwook glared at the locked up students one last time before pulling Yunho off of the ground and dragging him along with him back to the rector's office. Once inside he let go of the student. He was in a rush, he was trapped now. Immediately he pulled the curtains in front of the big window so one could see inside. The window had a direct view to where all the officers stood ready.

Dongwook turned on the microphone that was placed on the rector's desk. It was connected to speakers both inside and outside the school, making it his only way to communicate with the police outside. He took a quick peek through the curtains before walking back to the desk.

"This is Lee Dongwook. You all know me, so I'll skip the introductions. I'm with eight students right now and they're all safe. My colleague and I have a gun each. I borrowed the gun from the policemen who were with me. The gun fire you heard earlier was a warning. If you come any closer, it will be more than just a warning."

Jun looked at the spider web looking crack that had formed in the bulletproof glass of the door. Jongho had casually taken a seat on the desk outside and watched Jun with a bored expression as the older kept banging on the glass and hitting his shoulder against the door.

"It's useless. Even that psycho to Wooyoung couldn't get out of there." Jongho spoke tiredly.

"Open the door!" Jun yelled, looking down at the male on the other side.

"There's no point in killing me, that door can only be opened from the outside." Jun stared at him with hatred for a moment before walking to the middle of the room. Quiet sobs were leaving his lips as he looked around desperately, gun held tightly in his right hand. He opened the muzzle of the gun to see only two bullets were left.

"Lee Dongwook! What do you want?" Officer Ahn's voice rang through the speaker in front of him. The killer leaned casually against the desk behind him.

"I've been holding counselling sessions with the students. It's not possible to identify the problem over a few sessions but it was very intriguing." Dongwook spoke clearly so the police outside could hear him.

"What I want is to continue these sessions until the end." Dongwook looked down at Yunho who was still laying on the floor, drifting in and out unconsciousness.

"As the last stage, I would like to speak to the students' parents. Once I've finished counselling their parents, I will let them return." Officer Ahn ran back over to the microphone and turned it on.

"You'll set them free?" Dongwook confirmed that he indeed would let them go once he had spoken with each of their parents. Turning the microphone off again Officer Ahn quickly ordered the officers around the small camp to get in contact with the students' parents and bring them here as soon as possible.

Inside the teacher's dorms the others had heard everything while Hongjoong was tending to San's broken leg. His shin was starting to turn reddish and blue, the big cut on the middle of his shin wasn't bleeding anymore but was definitely infected and caused the younger an insane amount of pain.

"What is he up to..?" Seonghwa mumbled while stealing glances at San's terrible looking leg. Everyone was restless. Locked in the teacher's dorms was Hongjoong, San, Seonghwa, Mingi and Wooyoung. Yeosang was trapped in the infirmary handcuffed to a bed. Jongho was outside the detention room, looking after Jun and Yunho was with their capturer.

Half an hour had passed since the killer had requested to speak with the parents when Officer Ahn announced that Kang Yeosang's parents had arrived. Helicopters with armed military soldiers were flying above the school buildings. The snipers were lowered onto the roof of the buildings and getting into place so they could keep an eye on any movement and be ready to fire when ordered to.

Dongwook grabbed Yunho by the collar and hoisted him back on his feet at the announcement of Yeosang's parents arrival.

"Is consulting really your motive?" Yunho asked as the killer dragged him out of the room.

"Yes. And my weapon will return too." Dongwook answered. Knowing very well his every move was being watched, he held Yunho in front of him and the gun to his head as he guided the student to the infirmary where Yeosang was handcuffed to the bed.

"Yeosang your parents are here." Dongwook spoke as he entered the room.

"Wait a second." The killer told Yunho as he made his way over to uncuff Yeosang from the bed. The younger male watched the killer with a blank, emotionless expression as he was freed and brought back to the rector's office to speak with his parents.

"You mustn't say anything to provoke the criminal. You must be sincere and go into details about Yeosang if necessary." General Cha instructed. Yeosang's mother gave him a look of disbelief.

"What does he want with us parents? Does he want to negotiate a ransom price?" Mrs. Kang asked while giving the General a dirty look.

"We don't know that.." General Cha sighed. The sound of a speaker turning on could be heard and the next second Dongwook was speaking.

" _ I apologise for the wait. Yeosang's parents are here? _ " General Cha motioned for the parents to speak into the microphone to answer the criminal.

"This is Kang Youngsub, Yeosang's father. I would like to hear my son's voice first." Mr. Kang spoke calmly and waited for a response.

Dongwook had placed Yeosang on the chair behind the desk and slid the microphone closer to him, indicating he should say something.

" _ It's me.. _ " Yeosang spoke quietly but coldly. Immediately Mrs. Kang grabbed the microphone in the police's tent.

"Yeosang? Are you safe?" She asked worried.

" _ Yes, mother. _ " Again, quiet and cold. Mrs. Kang let out a sigh of relief and Officer Ahn took over, asking the killer to let the male go now that his parents were here.

"Of course I'll let him go but first, I want to check if they're his real parents. They're here much earlier than I expected, it bothers me. I'd like to try a simple quiz. If you're his real parents, you'll be able to answer easily." Dongwook spoke with a small smirk on his face.

" _ Yeosang's mother. Tell me how you make pancakes _ ." Mrs. Kang looked flabbergasted at her husband then looked confused over at the officers beside her. Quickly an officer started typing on his computer, finding a recipe on pancakes.

_ "I was moved when I talked with Yeosang about this. He said you hugged him a lot when he was younger. You made up the story about the monster in the corner. I asked Yeosang when he had felt the happiest, he said when his mum had made pancakes for him. How did you make your pancakes? _ " Mrs. Kang's grip on the back of the chair in front of her tightened and she started reading of the things that were written on the website the officer had found for her.

Dongwook let out a silent chuckle as she listed the ingredients. Yeosang looked to the side, trying to hide his sobs as he thought back to the memories of his mother making pancakes for him. He would always cling to her leg while she worked and she would always smile down at him when he did that.

Dongwook had observed the students' reaction all along and cut his mother off.

" _ Ma'am, you seem to be reading a cooking book. _ "

"What do you expect to prove with this?!" Yeosang's mother yelled frustrated. Officer Ahn quickly cut of the mic.

_ "I can prove something. You just proved that you really are Yeosang's mother. I will return your son." _ The officers looked surprised at each other but relief quickly washed over them.

Yeosang looked surprised at the killer before him too, but his mind kept showing him flashbacks to when he was a kid.

Pulling out a box of ice cubes from the refrigerator, Hongjoong placed them inside a towel and made his way over to San who was laying on the couch, sweating and breathing heavily.

"Did you hear that? He's letting Yeosang go, he's keeping his word so hang in there San." Hongjoong gently placed the towel with ice cubes over the injured leg and San let out a strangled groan at the new pain. Wooyoung helped San sit up slightly so he could scoot in behind him. He guided San back down to rest against his chest as he gently started wiping San's sweaty forehead and neck with a towel.

"How did you know it wasn't my mum? The person who made pancakes and talked about the monster... that it was someone else." Yeosang questioned quietly as Dongwook lead him to the front doors of the school building.

"Just now." Yeosang stopped walking and chuckled sadly before his face contorted into an expression of pain. The memories came back once again.

_ A woman was making pancakes in the small cramped kitchen while a small boy with blue paint on his face stood with his hands and forehead against the wall, counting. _

_ Suddenly the door was ripped open and five officers stormed into the small house. _

_ "Look for the child!" _

_ One of the men opened a closet and inside was a small boy hiding, Yeosang. _

"Why did I think she was my mum?" Yeosang asked himself more than Dongwook.

"Miss Seonhee, who kidnapped me. Why did I think that?" Yeosang asked through his falling tears and trembling voice.

"Memories sometimes work in weird ways. Some truths ruin people. Do  _ you _ still want to know the truth?" When Yeosang didn't answer, Dongwook started leading him to the exit again. Yeosang walked through the doors and into freedom.

The walk from the front door and to the school's front gate was longer than what Yeosang remembered it to be. The night was cold, quiet and dark, the snow squeaking under his feet at every step he took. He was lost in thoughts when a gun fired. The sound of rustling snow had startled one of the snipers into opening fire. Yeosang's parents and the officers rushed over to him and quickly got him inside the warm tent to make sure he was okay, luckily he hadn't been harmed.

" _ Do you want to kill me?! I kept my promise and this is what I get?! _ " Dongwook yelled through the speakers, obviously not pleased with the military's slip up.

"Mr. Lee calm down! It was a small mistake." An officer spoke through the microphone.

" _ Mistake? Should I make a mistake too? If you want to shoot me then go ahead! I'm in the rear building, 2nd floor. _ " Dongwook peeked through the curtains to see all the snipers outside on top of the building opposite of him.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry! Please calm down."

_ "Let's make this clear. You can shoot me if you want to, that goes for my colleague too." _ The killer left his place from the window and smirked to himself.

Jun was having a full blown panic attack from the words he heard his doctor say. Hitting his head against the wall behind him, he muttered ' _ doctor _ ' over and over like a mantra. Suddenly his eyes opened.

"Rear building, second floor.." Jun glanced down at the two bullets in his hand before rising to his feet. He pulled out a switchblade from his jeans and cut open one of the bullets, placing the gunpowder into a piece of paper and folding it up neatly. Jun placed the folded paper into the gap between the door and the doorframe.

"What are you doing?" Jongho questioned when he saw Jun moving around suspiciously. The older took a match stick out from his pocket that he had picked up earlier for some reason. He brushed it against the door and it lit up. Placing it above the paper he quickly moved to the side. Jongho looked confused for a moment but sensed something was wrong and started moving back.

Jun moved back to the door when noticing happened and pulled out yet another matchstick. Jongho looked at him and kept telling him not to do it when he realised what the older was doing.

Lighting up the last match stick, Jun held it and lit up the paper. Jongho moved to a safe spot in the corner as there was a small explosion in the door.

Pulling the door open Jun stepped out of the room. He was bleeding heavily from the right side of his head, covering most of his face in blood. Jongho looked shocked at the older as he walked over to him.

Jun stopped in front of him and held out his hand, in his palm was Jongho's ruined hearing aid. Jongho carefully took his belongings and Jun slowly started walking away from him, heading towards the only place he could think of. The rear building, second floor.

Jongho watched as the older walked away almost zombie-like. He let out a sigh but didn't move from his spot in the corner.

Jun kept walking and walking. He had to get to Dongwook, even if it was the last thing he did. As he walked through the hallways with huge windows, multiple guns were aimed at him but no one fired.

Dongwook was still in the rector's office, waiting for the next set of parents to arrive, all lights were turned off, making the room almost completely dark.

"Doctor.." Jun's weak voice broke Dongwook out of his thoughts. He turned around to face the younger but was surprised to see his subject covered from head to toe in presumably his own blood.

"I'm sorry I'm so late.." Jun smiled through the pain. Just like he was taught to do and always had.

"Jun.." Dongwook said breathlessly but the younger simply handed him the gun with a small smile. When the doctor took the gun from his hands, Jun collapsed to the floor.

"Jun!" Dongwook kneeled down beside him and placed the younger's head on his lap, moving a few bloody strands of hair away from his blood covered face. Jun was breathing heavily as he looked up at his saviour, finally he let the tears fall. After all these years of yearning and fighting against his own emotions, he let go and he closed his eyes.

He took his last breath that night and Dongwook held the male close as he watched the life leave his body.

Leaving to get more towels for San, Wooyoung was starting to lose patience. An entire army- not quite, but exaggeration promotes the understanding, was outside the building. Why wasn't anyone doing anything? They could've shot the killer the moment they arrived and things would be over but they didn't.

With hurried steps Wooyoung made his way back to San who's pain only worsened by each minute passing. "Just force your way in fucking cowards!" Wooyoung yelled out in frustration to no one in particular, tears slowly welling up in the corners of his eyes.

"What are they doing out there? Having a fucking coffee break?!" Wooyoung was about to continue voicing his opinion on the way the police was handling the situation, but the voice of an officer outside stopped him.

" _ Lee Dongwook, Song Mingi's parents have now arrived. _ "

Mingi looked up at the mention of his name before slowly rising from his seat on the couch opposite of San. They all knew Dongwook would arrive soon to retrieve him, so Hongjoong and Seonghwa followed the younger to the door where their capturer would come to get him.

Soon enough, the killer arrived. He unlocked the door to be met with the three awaiting students. Seonghwa's gaze fell on the gun in Dongwook's right hand, an unreadable expression on his face. The man took notice of it and lifted up the gun.

"Is this loaded? Or is it this one?" Dongwook pulled out the second gun and lifted it up for the students to see. "In any case, one of them is loaded."

"Mingi." The killer lowered the guns and looked at the mentioned student. Mingi slowly turned to Hongjoong, tears threatening to escape the younger's eyes. Hongjoong gave him a sad smile while patting his shoulder.

"I'm relieved that you get to leave first." Mingi's eyes never met the older's as he spoke. Turning back to the killer in front of him, Mingi stepped out of the self proclaimed prison and followed Dongwook to the rector's office after being handcuffed.

"Mingi.." Mrs. Song spoke into the microphone. She called his name a few more times when there was no response. Distressed, Mingi's mother turned to the officer beside her.

"Why isn't he a-answering?" She asked through tears. Officer Ahn told her that they should give them a few minutes, maybe they weren't in the office yet. Mrs. Song covered her mouth to quiet down her sobs. The thought of her precious boy getting hurt was more than she could handle. The thought of maybe never seeing him alive again was devastating.

" _ I'm sorry for the delay. _ " Dongwook spoke through the intercom, catching Mrs. Song's attention.

"Let's have you listen to your son's voice first of all." Dongwook nodded at Mingi, telling him to say something.

"Mingi _? _ " His mother spoke expectantly.

" _ Mother _ .." The sound of her son's voice made his mother cry even harder. Mingi's dad who stood by her side placed a comforting arm around her waist before speaking into the microphone.

"Mingi, it's dad.. Are you okay? You're not hurt, right?.. It's okay, everything will be okay."

" _ Yes father.. I'm okay. _ " Mingi answered softly to his father's worried questions.

" _ Mingi's mother, likewise, I need to check if you really are his parents. _ "

"Yes, please go on." Mrs. Song said between sobs, waiting for the criminal to continue.

" _ Until now... out of all the things you've done, confess your greatest sin. _ "

"M-my greatest sin..?" She asked confused and shocked at the sudden demand.

"Confess the most shameful sin you've committed, then I'll return your son." Mingi glared at the criminal from his seat behind the desk. In the spur of the moment Mingi bolted from his seat and tried hitting the killer but the task was difficult when his hands were handcuffed. In the flash of a light Mingi's head was pinned down against the wooden desk as the killer hovered over him.

"Listen carefully.." Turning the speaker off Dongwook began talking but Mingi kept cutting him off.

"You fucking devil!"

"Let go of me you bastard!"

"Listen to me, let's see how far your mother goes to save you."

" _ What sin did I commit? _ " Mrs. Song's voice rang through the speakers outside. Dongwook turned the intercom back on.

"Think carefully. I'm sure you're thinking of one right now." Mingi's mother looked around the tent filled with officers before her eyes landed on their private chauffeur.

"I-... I gave a bribe to gain a contract. I didn't know that was a sin, I thought everyone did that.."

"I also hired a detective to dig up dirt on an employee I wanted to fire. The employee was in an union. I spread rumours that he was an addictive gambler and made him resign.." Dongwook removed his hand that had Mingi's head pinned to the desk. Mingi stayed in the position laying over the table as tears rolled down his cheeks. He knew what Dongwook wanted his mother to confess, but none of what she had just said was it. Quiet sobs left his lips as he continued listening to his mother's voice confessing various sins.

"Ma'am." Dongwook spoke bored into the intercom mic.

" _ Yes _ ?" Mingi's mother asked through sobs.

"I don't want to hear these trivial sins of yours. I need a confession that will prove you're his mother. The first sin you thought of when I asked you to confess!" Dongwook's voice turned more stern and infuriated with each word, tired of listening to those business related sins she had rambled on about.

_ "What sin? Just tell me please." _

_ "You know better than anyone what I'm talking about." _

Wooyoung was too busy caring for San to even listen to the conversation going on between Dongwook and Mingi's mother. Right now, his only focus was on making sure San was okay and that he wouldn't suddenly lose consciousness. Seonghwa who was leaning against a wall behind them slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor, knees pulled all the way up to his chest.

"He's trying to ruin us. Completely destroy us." Seonghwa was shaking as he spoke, his eyes blank from the overwhelming amount of emotions swirling inside of him.

Hongjoong looked over his shoulder to take in Seonghwa's state, the older was slowly falling apart right in front of his eyes. As much as he despised Seonghwa, he was still a fellow student who had been trapped inside this living nightmare, just like the rest of them. Carefully Hongjoong kneeled down in front of the older, making Seonghwa look up at him. Hongjoong placed a comforting hand on top of the older's knee, giving it a light squeeze of comfort, hoping it would help the older realise he wasn't alone in this.

"What do you think? Do you think she'll confess or not? Will she choose her son or herself?" Mingi didn't answer the question. He didn't want to and he wasn't sure about his mother's answer any longer. Dongwook turned on the intercom again and spoke slowly, giving Mingi's mother a final chance to confess, "I'll count to ten."

"1.

2.

3.

4."

" _ Wait I-... _ "

"5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10."

"I-..." Mingi's mother stumbled over her words.

"You leave me no choice." With that Dongwook cut off the mic and Mingi felt the last amount of respect and love for his mother leave him. She had chosen herself and her reputation over her own son. Tears fell from his eyes and dripped down onto the table he was still partly laying over.

"I guess mothers don't put their lives on the line for their sons. I was hoping she would."

"Your mum's just selfish, she put her son’s life on the line to protect herself." Dongwook had helped Mingi off the desk and was now guiding him through the hallways with the gun pointed at the younger's back.

"There are few people who risk their lives to save their children. But it's not common. Those special circumstances don't represent the mass."

When Mingi and Dongwook stood by the front entrance to the school, the younger turned around to face him.

"Don't feel upset about it. You'll never slit your wrists again because of your mum, right?" Mingi gave the killer in front of him a cold look.

"I hope you  _ die _ ." Not the least bit surprised by the students' words, Dongwook raised his hand to tuck a piece of hair behind Mingi's ear before pushing him out of the front doors- into freedom.

"Mr. Dongwook! Mr. Dongwook answer me." Officer Ahn was speaking into the microphone. After the criminal had ended the countdown he had turned the intercom off, leaving the rest of them in the dark of what was happening inside.

Mrs. Song was sitting on a chair, sobbing into her hands while her husband was talking with another officer.

" _ He's coming! _ " Shouts could be heard from outside of the tent and Mingi's mother quickly rose from her seat, sprinting outside to look for her son. She started running towards her son when she spotted him, officers desperately following her.

"Mingi!" She yelled before pulling her son into a tight embrace.

Jongho who had been staying outside of the detention room ever since Jun left, had now moved to the kitchen to recollect the laptop he had placed there earlier to trick the older into thinking Dongwook had been locked up.

Jun had given him his hearing aid back before he left Jongho alone in the room to go find Dongwook, but the small device was no longer working after Jun had stepped on it. Looking through the CCTV on the laptop he spotted the sea of police cars and officers outside, along with Dongwook making his way back to the rector's office.

A doctor had examined Mingi after he had arrived at the small camp and told his mother that he was fine. Nodding, his mother turned to him and engulfed him in a warm hug while crying hysterically into her son's chest. Mingi on the other hand couldn't find any tears to let go off for his mother.

General Cha made his way over to the two of them, a relieved smile on his face. "What a relief. Mingi are you sure there's only two bullets left?"

Mingi pushed his mother away harshly then stood up to look at the officer. "There's no more than three for sure."

"And Choi Jongho and Jung Yunho are watching over Moon Junhui?" Asked Mr. Cha for clarification. Mingi nodded slowly, "I think so yeah."

"Do you have a guess as to where they might be?" Mingi shook his head. He had no idea where they could be. He didn't even know if they were still alive at this point, but maybe that could also be for the better if it was the case.

" _ Lee Dongwook! Park Seonghwa and Kim Hongjoong's parents have arrived! _ "

The sound of an officer's voice over the speaker outside caught the captured students' attention. Seonghwa's head shot up at the mention of his name. He looked to the side to see Wooyoung was holding San close to his chest on the small couch. Hongjoong, who had gone to the small kitchen to get a new ice bag for San's leg, heard the announcement as well. He grabbed a new ice bag and hurriedly walked back to the San.

Seonghwa who was still curled up against the wall suddenly jumped back on his feet and started fussing around, looking for anything that could keep the killer from getting inside the teacher's dorms. Seonghwa's eyes landed on a bicycle cable lock. He took the item and marched out to the grit that held them captive.

"Seonghwa!" Hongjoong yelled panicked when he saw the male making his way to the exit of the dorms. He quickly followed the older male.

Jongho had left his spot near the kitchen to hide away in the control room instead, which was connected to the room Dongwook would be in. Upon entering when the killer had left, with Wooyoung's laptop securely tucked in his arms, he looked around until his eyes fell on a shadow behind the main computer system.

Carefully, Jongho made his way over the computers. He peeked around the back and saw Junhui's lifeless body hidden away between the wall and the computers. Jongho bit his lip in agony, but with the state Junhui had left in, there was no way he would've survived.

Jongho placed the laptop on the floor and pushed it underneath the closed off table. He got down on his knees and scooted under the table as well. Right now, this was the worst place he could be- he would only be metres away from the killer, but it was his only chance to help his fellow students. Reopening the laptop, he started looking through the CCTV of the school. God bless Wooyoung for hacking into the system.

Seonghwa wrapped the lock around the steel grit and locked it in place. He pulled on the grit a few times to make sure it couldn't be opened.

"What are you doing?" Hongjoong asked out of breath when he caught up with the older.

"We're safe now. We should've done this sooner." Seonghwa murmured in a panicked voice.

"Is that your choice?" Seonghwa jumped back a few steps when Dongwook came into his sight at the bottom of the stairs. Hongjoong on the other hand held his ground, watching as the killer walked up the stairs to the grit.

"That's a good choice too, even if Jongho is outside." Dongwook spoke calmly after eyeing Seonghwa's work. He came to a stop in front of the grit door.

"Shut up! Why do you care what I do?!" Seonghwa yelled out. Panic taking over his body at the sight of Dongwook in front of him, even if there was a door between them.

"N-no one can blame me!" Seonghwa's voice was shaky and he pressed himself further into the wall behind him to create more distance between him and the killer. Dongwook chuckled at the student's reaction.

"You're right, Seonghwa. No one can criticise you. Plus, Yunho said that he was the most sinful one amongst you. I guess this is a good way to end it too." Dongwook smirked at the cowering student.

"Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa. I hope you'll make most of your time from now on. Especially seeing as you sacrificed a friend for your own lives." The killer's tone reminded Hongjoong of a father giving his son advice on how to handle his future.

"Ah.. Hongjoong, you should know. You're used to living that way." Hongjoong glared at the killer, never breaking eye contact as Dongwook tried to taunt him with his past. With that, the killer turned around and started walking down the stairs.

Hongjoong quickly made a decision and started unlocking the cable Seonghwa had used to lock the killer out. Dongwook stopped at the sound of the cable falling to the floor and Seonghwa stood frozen behind the younger, not believing he was actually doing this.

"Outside!" An officer shouted all of a sudden. The police inside the tent along with Hongjoong’s father and Seonghwa's parents made their way outside to see what the fuss was about. All eyes landed on the big screen over the front entrance at the school. Jongho had successful connected the CCTV in the control room from the laptop to the screen outside.

Jongho stood in front of the security camera in the control room and started using body language to explain something. Because of the lack of sound, it was hard for everyone to tell what he was trying to get across. Jongho thought to himself that it would be an impossible task for them to guess, so he quickly slid under the table, down to the laptop. He switched the CCTV to the one that showed Junhui's body behind the control system.

Gasps could be heard around the crowd as the sight of the dead male came onto the big screen. Officer Ahn turned to his superior. "If Dongwook's out of electricity then we can attack at any time."

"What about the security system? This school is better protected than our government." General Cha quickly shot down the idea.

"There's a secret passage. The window.." Mingi spoke from beside them, remembering when Wooyoung had drawn the map for Hongjoong to get inside. In a matter of minutes the Commissioner General had given out orders. His men went to take a look at the map drawn on the window before they started making their way through the ventilation system, to get inside the building.

" _ Is Kim Hongjoong's father present? _ " Dongwook asked through the intercom. Quickly Mr. Kim made his way over to the microphone to answer the man who held his son captured.

"Yes, I'm here."

"You have a wonderful son, sir. I was confused at one point, but he's the true leader among the students here. But there's one thing.. as a psychologist, his heroic behaviour.. I interpreted it as a yearning for death. He must feel guilty that he lived instead of his mum." Hongjoong sat frozen behind the desk the killer had placed him at.

" _ That he must grow up great in the place of his mother.. Did you raise him that way? _ " Hongjoong's father was about to answer, but the killer continued talking.

" _ Sir, I really like your son, so please convince him. Tell him not to be so attached to death. Tell him not to think about dying for another person. _ "

"Hongjoong-ah.." His father spoke softly while trying to hold his sobs back.

" _ Yes, father. _ " Hongjoong answered emotionless.

" _ Kim Hongjoong, I never asked you for any favors. This is the first favor that I'm asking you as your father. Don't die. _ " Hongjoong's cold expression slowly melted at his father's sincere words. His bottom lip started quivering but he quickly bit it before he could let his emotions take over.

"Whatever you have to do, make sure you don't die. Even if it's cowardly, don't die. That's my wish." Hongjoong's father moved away from the mic and started sobbing into his hands. Seonghwa's mother took that as her chance to grab the mic before the officer could turn it off.

" _ Where's Seonghwa?! Where is he?! _ " An officer quickly tried to get the microphone away from her before she could aggravate the killer.

" _ Where's Seonghwa?! Why is it that I can see all the other children but not Seonghwa?! _ " Officer Ahn finally managed to turn the microphone off but the damage was already done.

"See them all..?" Dongwook muttered confused. He stopped walking back and forth in front of Hongjoong. The killer's eyes shifted around the room before landing on the security camera in the corner. Dongwook's jaw tensed when he saw the small red light blinking, indicating it was recording.

In an instant he grabbed Hongjoong and dragged him out of the room. Not long after, the snipers who had made their way inside, entered the teacher's dorms after breaking the grit door open. Seonghwa looked up in surprise from his sitting position in the hallway.

Dongwook dragged Hongjoong with him up the stairs, heading to the roof. Opening the doors that lead out to the roof, he pushed the student into the cold night air and quickly closed the door behind him. The snipers who were now roaming the building followed after them and stopped at the door, ready to kick it open when they got the signal to.

Then, a gunshot echoed throughout the silent night.

**2017, December 31st, 9:10 AM**

_ "A new type of murder motive and method has been shown. The serial killer, Lee Dongwook.." _

_ "Holding students hostage.." _

_ "Despite being reported to the police.." _

_ "The police have been blamed for their late response.." _

_ "The finest high school.." _

_ "Regarding punishment.." _

_ "All school officials refuse to speak.." _

_ "The criminal was a psychologist from an elite medical university.." _

_ "The case, which has been ended with the criminal's suicide.." _

_ "The students, after being held hostage for eight day are now being treated." _

The sound of various reports from the tv all slurred together inside Hongjoong's head. Slowly gaining consciousness, he could make more and more out of the reporters' words. Hongjoong bought a hand up to rub against his aching skull. He opened his eyes carefully, but ended up squinting them together at the bright light above him.

He tilted his head to the side, seeing his dad sitting on a chair beside the hospital bed he was in. His dad looked over at him and a small smile of relief crossed his features when he noticed his son was awake. Immediately a question came into Hongjoong's mind.

"What about the others?" Hongjoong asked quietly, yet worried. Mr. Kim gave his son a weak smile before getting out of his chair.

San sat comfortably on the hospital bed, his injured leg stretched out along the mattress, while the other was bent upwards to rest his foot down on the soft fabric. Jongho and Wooyoung were sitting at the end of the bed, writing their names and drawing on the white cast San had on his right leg.

"Don't draw such revolting stuff here," Jongho laughed while attempting to stop Wooyoung from drawing a dick on San's cast. Yunho stood a few steps away from them, observing the scene quietly.

All heads turned in the direction of the door when they heard it open. Upon seeing Hongjoong standing in the doorway, Wooyoung was the first to come with a comment.

"Hey, Mr. Fainter!" Hongjoong smiled at the four males before him and soon his smile turned into genuine laughter when relief washed over him. The other were okay, his fellow students were okay.. his friends were okay.

"What the hell did you call me?" Hongjoong tried to sound intimidating as he walked into the room, but his laughing made it impossible.

Yunho, Wooyoung and Jongho had made their way over to Hongjoong, to examine the bump he had gotten from falling to the ground after fainting. Wooyoung started poking the sore spot, making Hongjoong whine out in pain while trying to swat his hands away.

"Be fucking gentle, you idiot!" Hongjoong whined.

"It's huge!" Wooyoung exaggerated while looking at Yunho and Jongho.

"Let me see!" Jongho chuckled curiously.

"I think my brain is damaged.." Hongjoong mumbled while now fighting against Jongho's curious hands. The older suddenly flinched when he noticed movement behind him from the corner of his eye. Turning around, he looked surprised at San who was now on his feet, holding onto the IV stand for support, one hand reaching for the bump on the back of the older's head.

"What's wrong with you?" Hongjoong asked surprised, his eyes staying fixed on San.

"I can't touch it? I've never felt a bump before." San asked nonchalantly, lowering his hand again. The others laughed at San's honest answer but were cut off with the door opening once again. This time it was Officer Ahn.

"It's great to all be alive, isn't it?" Mr. Ahn asked cheerfully, a smile on his face that showed off the wrinkles around the corners of his mouth and eyes.

"There are a few things I want to confirm, and I have some news. The chief of police will be here to visit you tomorrow." Mr. Ahn told the students in front of him. Wooyoung lazily threw an arm over Hongjoong's shoulder.

"What? Why?" Jongho asked confused, not understanding why the chief would want to talk with them.

"I'd prefer if a celebrity came by.." Wooyoung murmured, earning himself a jab in the side from Hongjoong. Mr. Ahn chuckled at their antics before continuing.

"Also, I have some good news too."

"What is it?" Yunho asked curiously.

"Are BTS coming?" Wooyoung smirked. Hongjoong went to jab him in the ribs again but the younger quickly moved away. Mr. Ahn couldn't help but smile at the students, seeing them still being kids after everything that happened was worth more than what money could possibly buy.

"Your teacher is alive." Officer Ahn smiled. All of their faces fell at the same time, but no one said anything. The officer noticed their sudden change of mood.

"No way.." Hongjoong spoke up.

"He's being treated in the hospital right now."

"No way. I checked him myself." Hongjoong spoke surely. He had seen their teacher buried in the snow with a gunshot in his stomach. There was no way he was still alive.

"He was in the center for several days.." Jongho pondered confused.

"Center?" Now it was Officer Ahn who looked puzzled.

"The garden in the center of the school." Hongjoong clarified, looking at the older man in front of him.

"We found him on the roof..." San looked up at the officer's statement, his expression unreadable as always.

"Did you say the doctor killed himself with a gun in his mouth?" The Officer looked at San. Suddenly the situation hit him. The man they had hospitalised wasn't their teacher. It was the doctor, the killer.

Yeosang sat on his bed. His mother had called out a private doctor to do a daily check up on Yeosang after the incident. When the doctor left with a polite bow, she turned to look at her son, arms crossed over her chest. Yeosang didn't look at his mother as he started speaking.

"Ms Seonhee.. Why did she kidnap me? She was so nice to me, so nice I mistook her for you."

"Because I fired her." His mother stated bluntly.

"Why?" Yeosang finally looked up at his mum for the first time today.

"Because you thought she was your mum. You gave her the parent's day carnation instead of me... You probably don't think that mothers get hurt by their children." With that Mrs. Kang left her son's bedroom, leaving Yeosang alone on the bed.

Seonghwa and Jongho stood by each their window in San's room, looking at the police outside searching and inspecting every single car that came or left the hospital.

"The doctor is pretty good.." Wooyoung mumbled as he walked up beside Jongho to look out at the working police officers.

"Do you think he wants to escape?" Yunho questioned from his spot on the chair.

"He had plenty of chances to escape." Hongjoong said firmly from beside Yunho. San walked over to the two, clinging to the IV stand.

"If I were him, there'd only be one thing I'd want." San said matter of factly. Mingi who sat on the edge of the bed turned to look at him and so did the rest of them.

"I'd want to confirm the results of my experiment."

Yeosang sat on the windowsill in the dining room. Looking around, he saw the small boy with half of his face painted blue. Tiredly, Yeosang got up from his spot and made his way towards his room. When he passed through the living room, he heard their maid talking on the phone. Hurriedly she walked over to him with the phone.

"It's for you, Yeosang. It's a friend.. Kim Hongjoong." Yeosang turned around around and took the phone before making his way back to the dining room so he could talk with the male in peace.

" _ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Is hide and seek over now? _ " The voice asked through the phone. Same moment Yeosang heard the small boy counting down from ten behind him. He placed the phone down on the table and turned around to see the small boy standing up against the wall, hiding his face in his hands so he couldn't see where the other would hide. Suddenly the memories of Yeosang's past came floating back.

_ A young Yeosang was hiding inside a closet, waiting for his friend to finish counting so he could start looking for him. Before the other boy with half his face painted blue could start searching, the door to the closet was opened and in front of him stood two older men, police officers. _

_ "We found him!" _

_ "It's over." _

_ Yeosang got out of the closet and looked panicked around for his mother, who had been making pancakes a moment ago. When he spotted her walking in his direction he opened his arms, waiting for her to pick him up. The woman rushed past him and hugged the other boy instead, completely ignoring Yeosang. _

Yeosang looked at the small boy in front of him with a defeated smile, "why did I lie? Because she hugged you instead of me."

Yeosang walked towards his room. "I must've wanted to be you." Upon entering his room, he turned around to close the door but the small boy had followed him all the way. Yeosang looked at the boy without any emotions as he closed the door between them.

Two police officers were slowly driving past the Kang resident, making sure there was nothing unusual going on. It was their job to patrol the area around the student's house until the criminal was caught.

"Nothing special here, sir." The Officer in the passenger side spoke into the walkie talkie.

A gunshot sounded from inside the house seconds later, making the driving officer step on the brakes abruptly. The guards outside of the house hurriedly made their way inside, followed by the police.

The other seven guys were still in San's hospital room, some chatting and some watching tv. Hongjoong rose from his seat to go to the bathroom, but he stopped when his eyes landed on Seonghwa who was looking out of the window from his seat.

Before Hongjoong had a chance to ask him anything, Officer Ahn rushed into the room. All eyes were suddenly on the Officer.

"Did you catch him?" Hongjoong asked hopefully. Officer Ahn shook his head as a no, his expression flat.

"What is it?" Hongjoong pushed, wanting the Officer to just tell them why he was here if it wasn't because of Dongwook. Officer Ahn took a moment to collect himself before speaking.

"A little while ago... Yeosang took his own life.."

Hongjoong deflated visibly at the news. The entire room fell silent as the students tried to process the news. Yeosang. He had really taken his own life..

"With his father's gun.. One side of his face was painted blue when they found him. He left a short suicide note too- " _ The egg is about to crack. _ " Do you know what he could possibly have meant?" Officer Ahn asked carefully, eyes drifting between the shocked students.

"The monster's egg.." Seonghwa whispered from his spot in the back of the room, but no one heard him.

"He received a phone call before he died. The caller said he was Kim Hongjoong." Officer Ahn's eyes landed on Hongjoong who stood frozen in front of him.

"But Hongjoong was..-" Wooyoung started to defend the older but the officer cut him off, telling him he knew what he was about to say. Hongjoong had been in the same room as everyone else, someone would've noticed if he had called Yeosang.

"From now on, all contact with the outside will be cut off." With those words, the Officer left the room. Hongjoong stumbled over to the wall and leaned his forehead against it.

"What did he hear..?" Hongjoong asked himself. His voice was barely above a whisper as the words almost got caught in his throat. San limped past the older and over to the door. Hongjoong moved his head away from the wall and his eyes locked with the younger's. That moment, they agreed on an unspoken plan. San slid the door open and walked outside, the other following right behind him.

The police station was buzzing with stressed officers who tried to make everything match up. An officer who had received a phone call a few seconds ago held his hand up to signal for everyone to be quiet. He put the phone on speaker.

"Could you repeat that?" The Officer asked.

"It's Lee Dongwook." 

"I want to say goodbye. I've finished my final experiment. Please tell the students goodbye too." San ended the phone call with that, and handed the phone to Hongjoong who stood behind him. Walking around San's wheelchair, he took the phone and threw it out of the open window, right into the dumpster beneath.

The police immediately started working on tracking the phone before sending out patrols to find what they thought would be the criminal.

Two officers were holding Wooyoung back when he tried to exit the hospital room. The rest of the gang stood behind him, watching Wooyoung struggle against the officers hold.

"The criminal went outside! There's no need to stay here!"

"You can't leave yet, young man." San signalled from his spot in the wheelchair for Hongjoong to start walking past the officers. Upon noticing the students walking past them, they tried to stop them but Wooyoung was now holding them back so they couldn't interrupt the plan.

Mingi took the escalator down to the main hall. His mother appeared behind him on his way down, asking him where he was heading to.

"The convenience store." Mingi answered coldly, not once looking over his shoulder to face his mother.

"Let's go together."

"No."

"I have to buy something too."

"I said no! What's wrong with you?!" Mingi yelled as he turned around to face his mother. The booming sound of his deep voice had made most people in the open area turn around to see what was happening.

"Don't you know? Don't you know how I feel? If he captures you again-"

"If I was so precious, then why didn't you answer?" Mingi interrupted her, glaring down at the older woman.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Song asked puzzled.

"Your greatest sin." Mingi turned around when his mother didn't say anything and continued to focus on the plan San had worked out for them.

The police were currently driving after the phone they had tracked down. An hour into driving, they ended up pulling over a garbage truck. After pulling it over and searching the vehicle and the people, they found the phone among all the trash in the back.

They had been fooled. Again.

Mingi walked onto the open roof of the hospital. Walking towards the edge, he looked out at the beautiful night scenery before him. The city was lit up with various colours and signs.

"Don't act the way to your mum~" Dongwook's voice sounded behind Mingi. The younger turned around and saw the criminal wearing a doctor's coat. Of course he had disguised himself as a doctor...

Dongwook walked over to the railing, standing beside Mingi as he leaned his arms against the concrete rail. "If only feelings were simple.. Just hate, just like, just pity or fear. Then life would be so much easier, right?" Dongwook looked away from the city below to look at the student, Mingi looked right back at him.

"You lost." Mingi said confidently. Dongwook's face fell into one of confusion. The student slowly turned around to look behind himself and the criminal, the later doing the same. Behind them stood the rest of the students with settled yet determined looks on their faces.

Dongwook tilted his head to the side slightly when he looked back at Mingi. The younger ignored him and walked over to stand beside the rest of them.

"Is everyone here? Ah.. no, Yeosang is missing." Dongwook smiled while eyeing the students before him.

"Did you call Yeosang?" Hongjoong asked simply. The criminal nodded his head yes, a chuckle leaving his lips. Hongjoong's eyes turned cold when he kept looking at the man before him. The man who had pushed his fellow student, his friend, into suicide.

"What did you say to him?"

"A simple hello. As well as the final keyword to awaken the monster." The criminal smiled slyly at the students who were burning with anger at this point, but no one made a move.

"The white laundry moves with the wind on the line." Mingi spoke up suddenly, walking towards the killer.

"The rooster windmill goes round and round the neighbour's roof." Mingi stopped a few feet away from him. Dongwook's face fell, his bottom lip slightly trembling.

"Ho-how did you know?" Mingi ignored his question and continued.

"It's bad when it rains. The laundry must be collected."

"Stop it!" Dongwook yelled, his body shaking from realisation at what the younger was doing.

"Mum takes a nap!" Mingi raised his voice at the last word. Both Dongwook and the others behind Mingi ran at each other. Wooyoung quickly grabbed the criminal before he could harm Mingi and pushed him away.

"Was that when you became the monster?" Mingi questioned referring to the final verse of the song the killer had sung for him when he first put him in a hypnosis to make him slit his wrists.

"You lost. The monster didn't wake up."

"How can you be so sure?" The criminal asked aggravated.

"Because Yeosang is dead.." Mingi's tears started rolling down his cheeks at the mention of his friend's name. Dongwook looked surprised at Mingi. Had the student really chosen to kill himself instead of letting his demons take over?

"Want me to say it again? Listen carefully this time. Yeosang, he took his own life instead of becoming a monster. You wanted us to become monsters. You wanted us to say that you weren't the only monster. But you're wrong. We won't become monster." Dongwook's eyes shifted nervously over the students.

"Whether monsters are born or raised, you're still evil. You're the evil one. You're the only one who's filthy!"

It struck the criminal that his experiment had failed. He hadn't been able to turn the students into monsters, like he had hoped for. He had hoped to see that he wasn't the only one who had let his demons take over.

"Everyone is so rash. One failed experiment doesn't mean a hypothesis is wrong. My experiment isn't over yet. Fine, I admit that Yeosang was a failed case, but what about the rest of you?"

Police sirens could be heard from the entrance of the hospital at the same moment. The police had figured out that the phone was a distraction to get them away from the students, and that the killer was in fact, still at the hospital.

"The police are coming." Dongwook said nonchalantly. Hongjoong started walking away from the group.

"Doesn't this seem familiar, Hongjoong? Doesn't it remind you of Asura?" The killer asked, amused. The student turned around and looked at him.

"What did you mean?"

"Asura, the Buddhism demigod of war. In Japanese it's sometimes used to describe a person who ends up in a situation in which they have to fight an endless war against something, in a relentless and inhumane manner. Sounds familiar, Hongjoong?" The student ignored him and walked away from the group.

"Did you plan to get caught from the beginning?" San asked emotionless while clinging to his IV stand.

"I don't know.. Anyway, I surrender." Dongwook lifted his hands up by his head. The sound of chains caught everyone's attention, making them turn around to see Hongjoong locking a thick chain around the door handle, so it couldn't be opened from the inside once the police arrived up there. The student walked back over to them. 

"It's all over."

"Kim Hongjoong.." Dongwook spoke almost expecting, hoping that he was about to witness the student's inner demon come to life. Hongjoong looked up at the killer as he approached him, his eyes showing no sign of mercy, only a bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

"You're finished." The rest of the students followed the leader when he walked closer to trap Dongwook against the railing behind him. The only ones staying behind being Mingi and San.

Hongjoong grabbed the collar of Dongwook's shirt and pressed the older male's upper body backwards against the railing, out over the edge. Seonghwa and Wooyoung took each of the killer's legs and lifted him up, finally pushing him over the railing.

" _ Anyone out there?! _ " The police yelled from the door to the roof, which Hongjoong had locked up.

Before the criminal could fall to his death from the tall building, he caught onto a ledge on the side. San and Mingi walked over to the others and looked over the edge, down at the killer who was holding onto the stone ledge for dear life. Dongwook looked up at them, taking in their dark facial features. Cracking a sinister smile, he let go.

As the killer fell from the 15th floor and straight to the concrete ground below, the students stood emotionless by the edge and looked down at his lifeless body. Moments later the police had forced the door open and ran over to see the criminal on the ground below.

**2018, January 3rd, 8:00 AM**

Yunho sat inside the interrogation room in the police station, Officer Ahn sitting in front of him on the other side of the small table.

"Have you rested well now?" Officer Ahn asked kindly, trying to help Yunho calm his nerves.

"Yes, sir." Yunho spoke clearly, his eyes focused on the table in front of him.

"Did you get some sleep?" The Officer asked, to which Yunho nodded his head. Mr. Ahn let out a chuckle before leaning back in his chair.

"Things will get better, you must have hope, kid. I'm sorry to keep bothering you, but there are many files when a case occurs." Officer Ahn opened the black folder he had brought along with him, his eyes quickly scanning the information written on the paper inside before he looked up at the student.

"Tell me what happened on the roof once more."

"I was getting coffee from the vending machine. I saw a man who looked like Lee Dongwook go to the roof." Yunho spoke softly but surely.

Seonghwa and Wooyoung sat beside each other, facing the awaiting officer in front of them. "Wooyoung and I chased after him." The oldest said in a quiet but sure voice.

"When I got there, Dongwook was holding a knife to Mingi's neck." Wooyoung said, his eyes never leaving the table.

  
  


"I had a fight with my mum and went up to the roof. That’s when he ambushed me," Mingi spoke sadly.

  
  


"He told me to lock the door.." Jongho explained from his seat beside San, before the older continued the story for him.

"We heard banging on the door, and when he turned the other way, Hongjoong ran at him." San explained coldly.

  
  


"His body lifted up into the air and he fell. Then the police came.." Hongjoong lifted his eyes from his lap to look at the officer in front of him.

"You had no time to do anything?" Mr. Ahn asked for clarification. Hongjoong nodded slowly. "That's right." For a moment the student and the officer merely looked at each other, no words spoken until the officer broke eye contact.

"Did Dongwook perhaps say anything before he died?" Hongjoong looked at the wall on his right, memories floating back from a few days ago.

_ Dongwook looked up at him, a wicked smile on his face as he hung from the ledge on the building, moments away from falling to his death. "I won." The killer said, then let go off the ledge. _

"No.. He didn't say anything." Officer Ahn nodded and with that, closed the interrogation of the last student. Hongjoong walked out of the room to be met with the six other students waiting for him. Upon seeing him, Wooyoung was the first to stand up. He gave Hongjoong a subtle nod which the older male returned. The rest of them stood up too and they all started walking out of the police station.

_ None of them could ever return to the person they were before the incident. _

_ But none of them regretted the choice they had made that night. _

_ When they let their demons take over, to fight an even greater demon. _

_ They all had their demons, and they had learned to live alongside them. _

_ Their demons were part of them. _

_ They would always be there. _


End file.
